Chapter 4

Mark returned to his office after Steve had been settled in. It never got easier for him seeing his son injured but he was thankful that on this occasion the injuries had been relatively minor. He was still a little disturbed by what Steve had said about a kid's voice but he decided to put his concern to the side for the time being so that he could finish his report. His concentration was interrupted by a knock on his door and he looked up quickly.

"Come in." He was very surprised to see Cheryl walk in but greeted her warmly.

"Hello, Mark, how's Steve doing?" Cheryl smiled at Mark, but he could see she was worried.

"He's resting comfortably at the moment, and will be fine. He'll not be able to return to work for a

few days due to his concussion, but fortunately he got off lightly this time." Mark

sighed as he spoke. As a doctor he was very aware of how much worse it could have been.

"What's wrong, Cheryl?" Mark asked quietly.

Cheryl grimaced. Steve warned her that his father picked up on everything and she couldn't doubt it.

"I believe Steve was set up today by Sammy Peters' gang. The call out we had, and the attack. The kid that hit him in the head was just a kid. It seems Sammy has a younger brother, Bobby, and an older brother who goes by the name Snake."

Mark shook his head in dismay. "A gang? But Steve told me Sammy was only twelve!"

"These are street kids and they're dangerous and they blame Steve for Sammy's arrest. Their ages range from ten upwards. Snake is nearly fifteen. How much did Steve tell you about yesterday?" Cheryl asked.

Mark was puzzled, wondering what was coming now. His son did have a most unfortunate tendency to leave out certain pertinent details when something happened to him. He supposed it was Steve's way of wanting to protect him, but it often made him worry more, because he always knew there were facts being omitted. But he couldn't seem to convince his son of this. He braced himself for what was coming.

"Sammy was lucky it was Steve chasing him. I'm not saying he's soft, for you and I both know he's one of the best police officers around, but he does tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to shooting. Most other officers would have shot when they were fired at, but Steve held back. He also ended up looking down the barrel of a gun being held by one of the toughest kids I've ever seen!" Cheryl paused as she watched Mark absorbing the information.

Mark's face paled. Things had obviously been even worse than what Steve had revealed, and what he'd revealed had been bad enough. He shouldn't be surprised though, not with Steve's history for skimming over important details concerning dangerous situations. It was something he was going to discuss with him, again, one day in the not too distant future.

"The fact is, this kid is a hard case and there's no escaping the fact he runs with a wild mob." Cheryl smiled encouragingly at Mark. "This will blow over though, Mark. Sammy is in detention, and they'll realize they can't get him out by threatening police officers."

Mark took a deep breath. It seemed like they were in for another rough ride. "Maybe they'll turn their attention to revenge if he's incarcerated. Seems to me we do have a problem."

Cheryl shrugged, not knowing what to say. "Yes, we do have a problem but there's not a lot we can do. We can find the gang members, but we can't put them away forever. But I don't think that's our biggest problem really."

Mark looked up questioningly. "What is then?"

"I think Steve was more shaken by yesterday than he'll admit to. There's no question

he hesitated, and now he's been attacked by a gang of kids, I think he's…"

"Losing his confidence?" Mark asked doubtfully. He knew his son and believed this

might cause him to question the system, but his son was strong and confident and he

found it difficult to accept that he would lose his confidence over a situation like this.

"No, but I think he wants to help Sammy. If he involves himself with this kid, then I

think it could cause us more problems." Cheryl said.

"Steve wants to help everyone, Cheryl, you know that. Maybe he thinks he can reach Sammy. I'm not sure that is a problem and I'm definitely not sure I want to discourage him. Most people can do with a second chance." Mark was a little confused about Cheryl's reaction.

"I don't disagree with you totally, Mark, but I have read this kid's rap sheet. It's as long as your arm. There's a time when you just have to admit defeat, and this may be one of those times". Cheryl spoke quietly but firmly. She wasn't sure why she was so uneasy about this kid, but Steve had been affected by the events and something told her that the situation was nowhere near finished.

Mark looked at Cheryl as he pondered her words. Cheryl was a good person, and a good cop, and certainly not one he would have considered as heartless or uncaring. She provided a good balance with his more idealistic son, but he was like his son and preferred to believe the best in people. On the other hand, this kid could have killed Steve and he knew he wouldn't forgive that, however young the shooter had been. Nothing was simple or straightforward. He didn't know what to believe as he'd not met Sammy.

"I'm not sure if I agree with you, Cheryl, but I'm sure you know how I feel about Steve. I don't want to see him hurt, physically or emotionally." Mark's voice trailed off as he pondered all the things that could go wrong. There seemed to be many pitfalls in front of them.

"I know, and I respect that. I don't want to tell you, or Steve for that matter, what to do. I guess I just want to urge caution, whatever he decides. Look, I've got to go back to the precinct but I'll call in on Steve on the way out." Cheryl grinned suddenly. "Got to let my partner know what I think of his ducking out of the paperwork."

Mark grinned back, glad, not for the first time, of Cheryl's caring and friendship with Steve. "Thanks, Cheryl." Cheryl waved as she left, understanding the meaning behind the simple thanks.

Mark sat there thoughtfully after Cheryl had left. He had been more than a little disturbed by her visit and comments but he wasn't sure what to do. Trying to clear his mind of the very disturbing thoughts, he turned back to his report. Time enough to work out what had to be done when he took Steve home. But he was feeling very disturbed.