Chapter Two

Chapter Two

6:15pm

The door opened to Jack's apartment and Viv let herself in. She shut the door quietly and turned on the light by the door. Folding her coat over the back of one of the leather chairs, she headed into the kitchen to look for an open bottle of wine. Turning on the under counter light, she saw none. Viv took a cabernet from the rack and opened it, waking Jack up from the noise of the cork.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jack. Want something to drink?"

"Scotch, please, one rock."

"Sure," Viv said, making his.

She brought in the two glasses and handed him his drink.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Viv?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought either you might want to talk to someone or you just might want some company."

"Hmmm."

"May I turn on the stereo?"

"Sure, the IPOD is hooked up as the source."

Viv looked at the possible playlists and chose 'Jazz at Building 7'. Jean-Pierre Rampal's flute came brightly over the speakers.

"This is great," she remarked, sitting back in her chair.

"Yeah, a friend of mine burned me a copy. It's from one of the building opening parties."

"Are you hungry?"

"No, not really, my schedule is off, right now."

"Okay."

They sat, listening to the music and drinking their cocktails.

"Spill it."

Jack looked at her and smiled. She always knew how to cut to the chase with him.

"Glenn assigned me to write letters to Anne to express my feelings after everything that's happened. Her doctors won't let me talk to her about the miscarriage. It really hurts that I can't talk to her. See that file folder? It's filled with the letters. I'm supposed to write at least one a day. Her doctor approved Glenn sending the letters to her tomorrow."

"That's great."

"Yeah," he replied in a whisper.

"What's wrong?" Viv asked, as she got up and sat next to Jack on the sofa.

"I'm scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Scared of losing Anne; scared to go to sleep. I…I have dreams, or, to be precise, I have one dream over and over," he said, putting his glass on the coffee table.

"Do you want to tell me?"

Jack looked into his scotch glass and then stood abruptly and walked to the window. He started to speak and then paused. Viv watched him, his face slightly illuminated by the street light below.

"Max Cassidy's last words on this earth were 'Please look after Anne.' Didn't do a very good job, did I? She got kidnapped and then, because of me, she had a miscarriage."

Viv got to her feet and walked up next to him, slipping a hand onto his shoulder. He turned to face her as she put both of her hands on his broad shoulders and pulled him into an embrace. He let himself be held, resting his chin on her shoulder, feeling her body against his.

Slowly, his body posture changed and Viv felt his hands grab handfuls of her sweater as he started to cry. This was the side of Jack Malone that she had seen only once before. She was familiar with his temper as well as his moody quiet moments. But this raw emotion was startling in its intensity.

Jack lost himself in his anguish and his fatigue just made it worse. The tears increased to almost sobs, as his body shook with sorrow. Then, as quickly as they started, they stopped. He released her sweater and stepped out of her embrace. Silently, he turned around and walked towards his bedroom.

Viv walked to the kitchen and dabbed her own eyes with a paper towel. She picked up her glass from the living room and took stock of the refrigerator. Smiling, she removed several ingredients and began to cook, listening to the music, and sipping her wine. Ten minutes later, she heard him walk into the living room. Jack picked up his glass and took a sip before walking towards the kitchen.

"Just take a seat, Jack. I'm making Evening Eggs," Viv said, turning to look at him.

His face was flushed and his hair was wet. He sat at the breakfast bar, his large hands around his glass. Sipping his drink, he watched her cook. She turned around, leaning against the counter, while the mushrooms steamed.

"Need a refresher?"

"Please."

She picked up the bottle of Famous Grouse and walked over to him. Pouring two inches, she then stopped, getting no response from him. Viv took the ice tray from the freezer and put two ice cubes in the glass. Returning the tray to the freezer, she checked on the mushrooms and took a sip of wine. He cocked his head and walked to the IPOD. Stopping the playlist, he changed it to Just Yo-Yo and pressed play. Jack sighed as the soft low tones filled the room. Heading back to his stool, he sat down heavily and took a mouthful of scotch.

Viv plated up the dinner and put his in front of him and her plate next to it. She filled her glass and then sat next to him.

"Jack, you have to eat something."

He looked at her and smiled weakly before he picked up the fork and took a taste.

"Evening Eggs, hunh?"

"That's what my grandmother called them," Viv replied, taking a forkful herself.

"They're good. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"No, I mean, thanks for coming over here and cheering me up."

"You're welcome, again," she said, smiling.

They ate without any conversation, choosing instead to listen to the music and sip their drinks. When they finished, she put the dishes in the sink while Jack walked back to the sofa. He sat down and put his cast leg on the coffee table. Viv walked back in and looked at her watch and then at Jack.

"Jack, I need to head home. Are you okay?" She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Jack started to sit up.

"No, don't move. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Viv, I'm fine," he replied, covering her hand with his.

"Okay, well I need to get home. Reggie and I have to run some French verbs before bed."

"As you do."

Viv smiled as she put on her coat and picked up her bag.

"Thanks again, Viv."

"You're welcome, Jack."

Jack listened to the door open, close, and then lock before closing his eyes. He was exhausted. Slowly, he stood and turned out the lights before walking to his bedroom. Moments later, he was in bed and almost asleep.

Friday 6:00am
Jack rolled over and almost purred. He felt no pain, no fatigue and it was six am. He got out of bed, showered, shaved, and got dressed. Padding to the kitchen, he sighed, eying the full sink of dishes. He took off his suit jacket and slipped his tie into his shirt, choosing to do the dishes by hand rather than running the dishwasher. Twenty minutes later, the sink was empty. Picking up his jacket, he put it back on as he walked into the living room. Carefully, he put the file into a Gristedes bag. He walked into the office one hour later. Sitting at his desk, he looked at the new cases in his inbox and lost himself in them.

"Hi."

"Hi," he replied, seeing Viv in the doorway.

"You look better."

"Thanks to you. What are you doing here so early?"

"Interview. And you?"

"I need to drop my letters off to Glenn."

"Right."

"As a matter of fact, I guess I should get going. See you around nine."

"Okay."

Jack stood slowly and picked up his coffee mug. He headed to the kitchenette and dumped the old coffee into the sink. Pressing a selection of buttons, he was rewarded with strong Kona coffee and a dab of milk. Trudging to the elevator, he went upstairs to see Glenn.

"Agent Malone. How are you today?"

"Much the same."

"You look better."

"Thank you."

Jack sat on the sofa and waited for Glenn. Moments later, he walked in. Jack stood and followed him into his office. Standing in a corner, Jack waited, taking occasional sips of his coffee. Glenn took off his coat and got settled in behind his desk before focusing on Jack. Finally, he looked at his patient.

"What, you slept an hour?"

"I slept almost nine," Jack replied, hurt in his voice.

"I'm sorry, you still look tired."

Jack handed Glenn the Gristedes' bag. Glenn looked into it and nodded, setting it gently on his desk.

"You okay, aside from the fatigue?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Well then, go to work; restricted duty."

Jack waved his hand and left in silence. He took the elevator back down to twelve and walked into the bullpen to see what was going on on the two cases.

"Jack, we just received a call from C.P.S. They went to the hospital to start the paperwork, this morning. Alex wasn't there," Sam said.

He closed his eyes for a moment and then focused.

"Head over to the hospital and canvas it. Take Elena with you."

"What about you?"

"I'm hoping to hear from Anne. I can't leave right now."

Sam looked at him and nodded slightly before organizing herself to go out on the interview. Jack looked at the whiteboard, losing himself in the facts of Alex's case.

When the pounding in his ankle became distracting, Jack went back to his office. He sat at his desk and put his cast on the credenza, feeling immediate relief. He picked up the report from Martin and Danny and started to read.

9:30am

Elena and Sam walked onto the Peds floor at N.Y.U. Heading for the nurses' desk, they produced their IDs again.

"Special Agents Delgado and Spade. We're here about Travis Wood." Elena stated.

"Yes, I'm the one who called when CPS couldn't locate him," a nurse whose name tag said Jenkins, replied.

"Ms. Jenkins, we need to know everything," Sam replied.

"Let's go to his room and start there," the nurse said, leading the way.

When they walked into the room, Sam noted there was an empty bed with an IV bottle hanging. The other bed was occupied; the boy deeply involved in his Gameboy.

"Jamal, these people are with the FBI. What can you tell them about Travis?"

The boy didn't acknowledge the question.

"Jamal, I'm Special Agent Spade. I brought in Travis. What happened?"

The boy stopped and focused entirely on Sam.

"You're the woman with Jack in a cast," the boy said.

"Yes, I'm Sam. I work with Jack and his foot is in a cast. What do you know about him?"

"I know that Travis had to find him. He said that Jack in a cast was the only one who could help him."

"Where's Travis?" Elena asked.

"He was so desperate; I told him where to find my clothes. They're big on him, but that's okay."

"When did he leave, Jamal?" Sam asked.

"Around seven, I guess."

"Did you give him any money or a Metro card?" Sam inquired.

"No, but I gave him my subway map."

"Thanks, Jamal. You've been a big help," Sam said.

"He seemed like a nice kid; I hope you find him. "

"Me too," Elena replied.

10:30am

Sam and Elena walked back into the FBI headquarters, having hit every dead end at the hospital.

"Excuse me, Agent Spade?"

Sam looked up and saw Clarence, the head of lobby security for the eight to four shift, calling to her.

"Hey, Clarence, what's up?"

"I have a young man looking for Agent Malone. His phone goes straight to voicemail. The young man also mentioned you."

Sam looked beyond Clarence to see Alex almost buried in a down parka.

"Travis?" she called.

Alex looked up and smiled at her. He hurried towards her.

"You had us worried."

"Agent Sam, I need to see Jack," Alex said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, let's go. This is Agent Elena, Travis."

"Hello, Travis."

"Hi, Agent Elena, you're very pretty."

"Thank you."

"Here's his badge, Agent Spade."

"Thanks, Clarence."

Sam and Elena escorted Travis to the twelfth floor. He walked out of the elevator, following the agents as they headed towards the windows. As he passed the offices, he looked in, and saw Jack sitting at his desk, facing the credenza. He opened the door and quickly walked in. Alex went up to Jack, but he didn't seem to notice him. The boy reached over and tugged at the hair above Jack's left ear.

"Ow!" he shouted.

Sitting up, he saw Alex cringing in the farthest corner of his office. Slowly Jack reached out his hand, palm up. A few moments later, Alex put his hand in Jack's. Sam and Elena walked quickly back down the hallway when they realized that Alex wasn't behind them

"I'm sorry, you surprised me and it hurt."

"I'm sorry, too."

Jack smiled and looked at Alex. He pulled him into a soft hug.

"Why did you leave the hospital?"

"I was scared."

Jack looked at the thin boy encased in a dark blue down parka three sizes too large.

"Okay, so how did you get here?"

"I walked."

"How did you know how to find me?"

"You told the doctor your name and that you worked for the FBI. I asked security where the FBI was and they told me."

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes, I'm very hungry."

"I don't think you need that coat in here. Let's go order you something to eat," Jack said, standing slowly and helping him off with his coat.

He walked out into the hallway with Alex at his side and bumped into Sam and Elena on their way to the bullpen.

"Great, you found each other," Sam remarked.

"Yes, we're on our way to meet the rest of the team."

"Okay, I'm going to revisit C.P.S."

"Thanks, Sam," Jack said as they continued to walk to the bullpen.

"Hey, this is my friend Alex. He's going to be around for a while."

"Hi, Alex, I'm Danny."

"I'm Martin,"

"I'm Vivian."

"Hello. Are you all with the FBI?"

"Yes," Viv answered.

Alex fidgeted with the edge of his t-shirt.

"Where's Uncle Henry?'

"He's with the police," Jack answered.

"Is Uncle Henry in trouble?"

"Do you think he should be?" Danny asked.

"Yes."

"Well then, he is," Danny confirmed.

"Good."

"Alex, what would you like to eat for breakfast?" Jack asked.

"I don't know."

"Do you like pancakes? My son loves pancakes," Viv offered.

"I don't know. Uncle Henry just made food."

"What kind of food did Uncle Henry make?" Danny asked.

"Hotdogs, Pop-Tarts, cookies…"

"Have you had eggs before?" Jack asked.

"I don't know," Travis said, getting nervous with the attention.

"No problem, we'll go with Cheerios," Jack said, smiling.

"I'll fly if you buy," Danny offered, slipping on his coat.

"Thanks," Jack said, reaching into his pocket to hand Danny a twenty dollar bill.

"You want anything, Jack?"

"I'll have Cheerios, too."

"Of course."

"Let's go back to my office, okay?"

"Okay, Jack."

"I'll call C.P.S. and tell them where he is," Sam said, looking up from her computer.

"Thanks."

"Oh, and Jack, Clarence said he tried to call you but couldn't get through."

"Right, thanks, Sam. I'll switch the ringer back on."

Jack and Alex walked side by side back to Jack's office. Alex sat quietly on the sofa. Reaching into his desk drawer, Jack pulled out a thick stack of white paper and a bag of markers. He walked to the sofa, and placed the stash on the table in front of him. The boy looked up at him with a confused look.

"These are for you to draw with. I have some work to do. I thought, while we wait for Danny, you could draw me a picture."

"Okay."

Jack smiled at the boy and then limped back to his desk to begin his update on Alex's case. Quickly, he lost track of everything except his computer and his report until there was a knock on the door. Danny stood with two bowls and a grin. Motioning him in, Jack stood slowly, realizing that his ankle was beginning to hurt again.

"Voila, a breakfast fit for kings and princes," Danny said with flourish.

"Thanks, Danny," Jack rumbled.

Danny left the room but stole a glance at Jack as he carefully collected Alex's drawings and set them aside. Jack tucked his tie into his shirt and sat down on the sofa to eat his cereal. Alex watched him for a moment and then followed suit.

"It's good, right?" Jack asked.

Alex nodded and took another spoonful.

"Jack?"

"Hmmm."

"Why do you call me, Alex?"

Jack looked at him and set his bowl on the table. He swallowed and thought for a moment.

"When you were three years old, you were playing in the park near your house with your best friend, Charlie Flanagan. His babysitter was watching you both. Charlie fell and broke his arm. In the confusion, you were kidnapped. I was the FBI agent assigned to your case. Until yesterday, no one knew what happened to you. Your real name is Alexander Douglas Wood."

"Is Uncle Henry my uncle?"

"No, he isn't related to you. You have a sister, aunt, uncle, and cousins."

"He told me my mom and dad are dead."

"They passed away three years ago."

Alex brought up his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He turned his head away from Jack. Reaching out, Jack laid his hand on Alex's back, feeling the boy breathe under his touch.

There was a knock on the door and Sam stuck her head in.

"Jack, C.P.S. is here."

"Thanks, I'll be there in a minute."

Sam nodded and left them alone.

Jack looked at Alex and realized that he had fallen asleep. Standing up, he moved Alex so he was lying on the sofa and covered him with his topcoat. Taking one of the markers, he wrote a note on a fresh piece of paper.

Alex,

I am in the bullpen with Sam in a meeting.

Jack.

He picked up the two bowls and his coffee and headed to the kitchenette. Quickly rinsing the bowls, he made a fresh cup of coffee and walked to the bullpen to find Sam.

Jack opened the door of the interrogation room and stepped inside.

"This is Special Agent Jack Malone. Jack this is Morris Cabella and Susan Ipswitch," Sam said.

Jack sat at the table and took a sip of his coffee.

"How is Travis?" Susan asked, referring to her file.

"Alex is asleep. He just had a bowl of cereal," Jack said, carefully.

Susan narrowed her eyes and made a note on the file.

"I see, when are you taking him back to the hospital?"

"He ran away from the hospital," Sam pointed out.

"Yes, but the boy needs treatment," Morris explained.

Jack studied his coffee without response.

"Agent Malone, for our report, when are you taking him back to the hospital? We can't place him until he's healthy," Susan asked.

"I don't give a rat's ass about your report. There's a nine year old boy who has spent the last six years of his life with a sexual predator. What good will your reports do, now?"

"The system…" Morris began.

"The system sucks," Jack interrupted, getting to his feet and leaving the room.

"Hello," Glenn said, looking at the boy drawing at the low table.

"Hi."

"Do you know where Jack Malone is?"

"He's in the bullpen with Sam," Alex replied, not looking up.

"I'm Glenn Bradley."

"I'm….I'm Alexander Douglas Wood; Alex."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Alex. What are you drawing?"

"Something for Jack."

"May I see it?" Glenn asked, sitting next to him on the sofa.

Alex shrugged as he continued to draw. There were four drawings; each one had a small boy and a man dressed in black. One drawing had the man dressed in black with a red S on his chest. Glenn smiled at that.

"Are you an FBI agent, too?"

"Yes, but I'm a doctor. I help the agents."

"Do you help, Jack?"

"I help everyone."

"Oh."

"Alex, I need to go find Jack. Nice meeting you."

"Uhm, okay, Glenn."

Glenn stood and left the boy to his drawings.

Glenn walked into the hallway and headed for the elevator. As he turned the last corner, he found Jack sitting in one of the chairs against the wall.

"Hey," Glenn greeted.

"Hey."

"Just saw your boy," he said, sitting next to his friend.

"Is he okay?" Jack asked, sitting up straighter.

"Relax, he's fine. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing. I just walked out of a meeting with C.P.S. that's all."

"Oh?"

"Bureaucratic BS. They wanted details for their report. They won't place him without a clean bill of health."

"What's wrong with that?"

"He ran away from the hospital; he ran to me."

'Why was he in the hospital anyway? He looks okay; skinny, but okay."

"I don't know. The doctor said he was small for his age and he has conjunctivitis."

"So he has pinkeye, big deal. Marty got it two or three times a year when he was Alex's age. You go back to the ER and get a prescription for eye drops. Then go to the store and pick up Pedialyte. That should get him balanced."

Jack sighed and ran his hand over his face.

"Hungry?"

"No, Alex and I had cereal at eleven."

"It's almost one and I'm starved." Glenn said, standing.

"Thanks, Glenn."

"You're welcome, Jack."

Waiting a few minutes, Jack got to his feet and walked to the bullpen, passing the now empty interrogation room.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry for my behaviour."

"We all have our trigger cases."

"Yeah, that we do. What decision did they come up with?" He asked, sitting at the conference table.

"First of all, they won't do anything until he has a clean bill of health."

"Yeah, I got that."

"Secondly, they want a psych evaluation."

"Of course."

"Lastly, they admitted that he'll probably remain in the system until he's eighteen."

Jack stared at the table, trying to think of a solution. Finally, he stood and walked away.

Minutes later, he found himself outside Anne's office.

"Agent Malone, can I help you?"

"Hi, Patty. Is Bill Daniels around?"

"He should be. His office is the fourth on your left at the end of the hall."

"Thanks."

Jack limped down the carpeted hallway until he came to the right office. Knocking on the glass door he waited until Bill waved him in.

"Jack Malone! How goes it in the big leagues?"

Jack shook the older man's hand and sat on the brown leather chair.

"Same old, same old. How's it up here?"

"Well, you guys keep us busy. Seriously though, what can I do for you?"

Jack recounted Alex's history through the last thirty six hours.

"I'm sorry, Jack. You lost me. What do you want from me?"

"I want to know what papers I need to fill out to be his temporary guardian until this all straightens out."

"Oh, sure, okay I get it. That's pretty easy. Why didn't you go to Anne?"

"Uhm, she's on a medical leave of absence."

"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't know. I've been out of the office myself, lately. Picked up the flu from the kids. Okay, obviously I can't do this for you. Have your lawyer draw up the forms and you should be good to go.

"Thanks, Bill," Jack said, getting to his feet.

"You're welcome, Jack."

He headed out into the hallway when his phone rang.

"Malone."

"Someone is looking for you," Sam said.

"Put him on."

"Hi?"

"Hey, Alex. I just finished a meeting. I'll be right down."

"Okay."

"See you in a few minutes."

"Okay."

Jack closed his phone and limped faster to the elevator. Moments later, he was back on the twelfth floor. He looked into his office, but it was empty. He continued on to the bullpen and found Alex drawing at the conference table. Sam was at her desk, but the other agents were absent.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Can I see what you're drawing?" Jack asked, sitting next to him.

The boy shrugged and continued to draw.

"That's great. Is that you?"

Alex nodded.

"Who's that?" Jack asked, pointing to the larger figure.

"You."

"Where are we?"

"Home."

Sam wiped a tear that started down her cheek, not meaning to eavesdrop.

"Jack?" Alex asked.

"Yes?"

"My eyes itch."

Jack looked at him intently.

"Okay, mister, we need to get this taken care of, pronto. Sam, where's the rest of the team?"

"Danny and Martin are heading to the Bronx. They might have found the janitor. Viv and Elena are on a call to Staten Island; missing grandfather."

"Can you handle things? I want to take Alex back to N.Y.U. to get drops for his eyes."

"I don't want to go to the hospital."

"But you're not going to stay at the hospital. I'll be with you. Okay?"

"Okay, Jack."

"I need to talk to Sam for a few minutes. Would you take your drawings to my office and maybe go wash your hands?"

Alex gathered his pens and papers and walked towards Jack's office. Jack turned to look at Sam.

"I'm going to seek temporary guardianship of Alex."

"Wow."

"I have to, Sam. He has no one to protect him."

"You have always been a knight," Sam said, touching his cheek.

"Thanks, I've missed that," He replied, covering her hand with his.

He took her hand and held it tightly.

"I'll call in but I'm probably gone for the day."

"Don't forget to get him some clothes. The Gap is on Fifth and 19th, I think."

"Right, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Jack limped back to his office and walked in.

"Ready?"

Alex nodded as Jack handed him his coat. Putting on his own topcoat, Jack held the door open for Alex. They walked to the elevator and waited.

"Jack?"

"Yes."

"Why do you have a cast?"

"I was in an accident," Jack said, guiding him to the elevator.

"What kind of accident?"

They walked across the lobby.

"It happened at work."

Jack hailed a taxi and they got into the back seat.

"Did it hurt?"

"Yeah, Alex, it hurt a lot. It still hurts sometimes."

Fifteen minutes later, they walked into the ER and checked in with the nurse.

"He left the hospital this morning, AMA. We're here to get drops for his eyes. Is Dr. Jenkins on duty?"

"Yes, Alex Ford you said? There's a Travis Ford."

"My name is Alex. I was called Travis by my Uncle Henry," Alex said solemnly.

Jack put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

"All right. Have a seat and I'll page Dr. Jenkins."

"Thanks," Jack said, leading Alex to a chair.

While they waited, he looked at the boy.

"Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to stay with me for a while until we can figure this all out?"

"Okay."

"Ah, the escape artist returns. You had us worried," Dr. Jenkins said, walking up to them.

"I think Alex's eyes are getting worse."

"Okay, let's get you into a curtained area."

Jack took Alex's hand and they followed Dr. Jenkins.

"Conjunctivitis is annoying but it's not serious. I'll give Alex drops and then you need to continue every four hours."

"A friend of mine recommended Pedialyte to help balance Alex's electrolytes."

"Yeah, that's good stuff. He looks better already. Alex, what have you eaten today?"

Alex looked at Jack.

"You know. You remember the name."

"Jack and I had Cheerios."

"Good for you. I love Cheerios. Okay, Alex, just tilt your head back. Perfect. Okay, we're done. Jack, here's the prescription. You can fill it out here or when you get home."

"Thanks, Dr. Jenkins. Okay Alex, off to the drugstore and then the GAP."

"What's the GAP?"

"It's a clothing store. You can't wear what you have on for the rest of your life."

"Oh, okay."

5pm

Jack unlocked the outside door to his apartment building and ushered Alex in.

"I live on the third floor. Can you carry this bag? I need one hand on the railing."

"Okay, Jack."

They headed up the stairs and finally reached the apartment. Jack unlocked the door and walked in, setting his bags on the floor, and turning on lights as he went further. He turned around and saw Alex standing in the doorway.

"Are you all right? Come on in."

Alex took a step in and looked around him his gaze locked on the photos of Hanna and Kate on the wall. Jack moved the bags out of the way and walked up to him.

"May I close the door?"

Alex looked behind and took another step deeper into the apartment.

"Would you like to see your room?"

Slowly, Alex nodded his head. Jack offered his hand and led Alex to the guest room. He turned on the light and took the shopping bag from the boy, setting it on one of the twin beds.

"Give me your coat and you can start putting your clothes into that dresser. There's a pair of scissors in the night stand."

Alex took off his coat and handed it to Jack, who went back out into the hallway. He hung up Alex's coat and then his own, carefully remembering to take the eyedrops from his pocket. He took his gun and put it on the shelf with his badge. Tugging at his tie, he unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt before picking up the other two shopping bags and heading back to the guest room. Alex was sitting on the bed, the bag untouched.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I don't get it."

"Oh, I'm sorry. First, take all of your new clothes out of the bags," Jack instructed gently, walking to the nightstand to retrieve the small set of scissors.

When he turned around, he saw the mound of clothes, including a pair of Merrell hiking shoes.

"Now find the paper tag on your p.j.s. Yes, that's right, and cut it off. Make sure you find all the plastic bits. Great, now fold the p.j.s and put them in the top drawer. Got the idea?"

"Yes, I got it."

"Okay, I'm going to change out of my suit and start to make dinner. When you're done, come into the kitchen."

Alex nodded as he carefully searched a shirt for its tag. Jack smiled and went into his bedroom. He took off his suit and hung it in the closet. His tie went on the tie rack, his shirt in the dry-cleaning bag. Pulling on a t-shirt and sweats, he limped to the kitchen and picked up the small bag of groceries. The grape Pedialyte went into the fridge and the Cheerios stayed on the counter. Putting a pot of water on the stove to boil, Jack poured himself a scotch, cutting it with seltzer. He put the spaghetti sauce in a dish and set it in the microwave. Pulling out the forks, spoons and napkins, he set the dining room table, when he heard a noise behind him.

"Would you like some juice?"

"Yes, please."

"Have a seat," Jack said, pointing to the stools at the breakfast bar.

Alex climbed onto the stool and watched Jack's every move.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, handing the boy a glass of Pedialyte.

"A little."

"You need your eye drops," Jack said, removing the top from the small bottle.

Alex tilted his head back as Jack administered the medicine. Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, Alex took another sip of his juice. Jack glanced at the water, seeing only a few bubbles on the bottom of the pan. He sipped his drink and yawned.

"You should take a nap, Jack."

"Yeah, maybe I will," Jack replied, wincing when he moved his cast foot in a different way.

"Jack, are you okay?"

"Yeah, kiddo, I'm fine."

"It just hurts sometimes, right?"

"Right."

Jack took a bag of Italian cut green beans from the freezer and put them in another bowl with a little bit of water. Covering it, he set it aside, looking at the water again; more bubbles but not enough for pasta.

"Alex, what do you like to do?"

"I like playing Gameboy and watching TV."

"What programs do you like on TV?"

"I like animal programs."

"Me too, I like the Discovery Channel. I have cable. Just hit the FAV button and only my favorite channels will show."

Alex nodded. Jack looked at the water for the pasta and saw that it had almost reached a full boil. He put in the pasta and set the timer for five minutes. Walking out of the kitchen, he turned on the television and changed the audio source to the TV before handing the controller to Alex.

"Here you go. We have fifteen minutes until dinner."

"Cool."

Jack smiled and took a sip of his drink. Alex settled on Animal Planet, laughing at the antics of the show's host.

Jack continued to cook until everything was settled.

"Okay, Alex, television off, please. Dinner is ready."

Alex turned off the TV and sat at the table with his drink. His eyes lit up when he saw the plate full of food.

"Dig in," Jack suggested as he started to eat.

Alex paused for a moment and then started to eat as well. Once, he looked up at Jack and smiled.

The dinner went quickly in silence. Alex was tired, yawning occasionally.

"Why don't you take a shower? There are clean towels ready for you and shampoo and so on."

"Okay, Jack," Alex said, leaving his empty plate at the table.

Jack sighed and took the dirty dishes to the sink. He washed and dried them. Pulling a bowl from the cabinet, he took the Cheerios box and set it within Alex's reach. Then he refreshed his drink before picking up the phone and dialing a familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Hanna, it's Dad."

"Hi, Dad. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks. How are things with you?"

"We had a snow day on Wednesday; no school. My teachers are nice but there's a lot of homework."

"Are you playing any sports?"

"No, Dad. Soccer ended and I don't have time with school. Look, Kate's here and wants to talk to you."

"Okay, honey, put her on."

"Hi, Daddy."

"Hi, honey, how are you?"

"I miss you, Daddy. I'm going to be in a dance recital next Friday. Are you coming out for it?"

"No, Kate, I'm sorry. I didn't know and now I can't reschedule. I hope to be out in three weeks."

"Oh, that's okay, Daddy. I'll tell Mom to send you photos, okay?"

"Please, sweetheart that would be great. Is Mom around?"

"No, she's out with Paul."

"Are you alone?"

"No, Daddy, Alison is here. She's in high school."

"Okay, okay great. Well, Kate, I love you and your sister. Take care and I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Daddy. I love you too."

Jack hung up the phone. He listened and the shower was still running so he placed another call.

"St. Germaine's."

"Father Walker, please, Jack Malone calling."

"Certainly, one moment."

"Jack?"

"Sean, I was wondering if you were free for lunch," Jack started before launching into Alex's history.

"Jack, I am free for lunch with you and your young friend. I'll try to have one of the boys available for Alex to talk to."

"Well, I'm not sure that he'll ask anything, but maybe a tour, that might be good."

"Sure, Jack, it won't be a problem."

"Thanks, Sean. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You're welcome, Jack."

Jack hung up the phone and heard the door of the bathroom open. Picking up the eye drops, he stood and followed Alex down the hall.

"I think you should go to bed, but I wanted to show you something."

Alex put his dirty clothes on a chair and turned to face Jack.

"There's a lock on the door. I understand if you want to use it. I don't have a key. Let me get the spare blankets, in case you get cold."

Jack opened the other dresser drawer and pulled out several red wool blankets. He set them on the edge of the bed.

"Eye drop time."

Alex leaned his head back and Jack gave him his drops.

"Do you need anything else?" Jack asked as the boy got into bed.

"Do you have a nightlight?"

Jack thought for a minute. He walked to the closet and opened the door. Tugging on the string from the light socket, the light turned on. Keeping the door open, he turned off the room lights. He shut the door to one quarter.

"How's that? You can always open it a little more or less and there's some light coming in from the street."

"Thank you, Jack."

"Good night, Alex."

"Good night."

Jack left the room and closed the door, hearing the unmistakable snick of the lock closing. He smiled slightly and headed back to the kitchen to refresh his drink. Once done, he sat on the sofa and turned the TV on to the History Channel, losing himself in a documentary of the B17 bomber.

11pm

Jack was alerted by a noise from the guest room. He limped as quickly as he could and stood outside the door.

"Alex, are you okay?"

"Yeah," a soft voice surrounded by sniffles replied.

"I always give my girls hot chocolate when they have bad dreams. Would you like some hot chocolate?"

"Yeah,"

"Okay, come to the kitchen when you're ready."

Jack was met with silence. He limped back to the kitchen to heat up some Parmelat. He pulled a container of Dean & DeLuca's cocoa from the cabinet and followed the directions. Soon after, he heard a noise behind him. He turned slowly, seeing the tears still fresh on the young boy's face.

"Want a hug?"

Alex nodded, holding his arms out. Jack leaned over and picked him up easily.

"Want to talk about it?"

Alex shook his head and continued to hold on to Jack.

"Okay, we'll just wait for the milk to heat."

A few minutes later, the milk started to simmer and Jack set the boy down. He poured the milk onto the cocoa and stirred it. He carried the mug to the sofa in the living room and Alex followed. Jack set it on the coffee table.

"Here's your cocoa. It's hot, so be careful."

Alex nodded, picking the mug up in two hands. Jack sipped his drink and changed the channel to the Animal Planet. The Crocodile Hunter was on and Alex was enraptured. Thirty minutes later, Alex had finished his cocoa and was asleep. Jack picked him up easily and took him to his room. Tucking him in carefully, Jack looked around the room, making sure the closet was open and the light was on. Satisfied, he left Alex to sleep and walked back to the kitchen. Topping off his drink, Jack sat on the sofa and returned his attention to Animal Planet.

Saturday 1:00am

Jack woke up and noticed that Animal Planet was now playing an Infomercial on the benefits of the Thighmaster. He finished his drink and turned off the television. Shutting off the rest of the lights in the apartment, he went to his bedroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. He changed into pajama bottoms and a t-shirt and got into bed. Turning off the light, he rolled over on his side and fell asleep.