I would just like to say - A HUGE THANK YOU to all who are currently reviewing, commenting and making this fic all seem worthwhile! Thank you to Lk, VDV, Gm, and everyone, you know who you are! I love you all for making this journey so… possible!
Please, please, please - help me continue and make my little life a little happier! - just by leaving a little review!
Ps sorry this chapter is late & a little short - I had a bit of a weedy weaky Sunday! ;-)
He sat opposite Beth's physician in the small but well lit room, a breeze catching in the slatted blinds, making them rattle. The doctor was talking, and he could hear fearful words tumble from the specialists mouth, ghastly words, words he's always dreaded he might hear but thought he might never have to. He heard the words but still was unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Secondary tumours…liver…metastasised…" The doctor droned on, as if he was reading out a shopping list.
"But you said she was doing well! You told me that!" He leaned forward in the chair, his fear and indignant anger coiling up around his throat, seeming to tighten his windpipe, threatening to strangle him.
"I'm so very, very sorry - we just never expected this…"
"NO!" He blurted, almost sobbing. "There HAS to be something you can do!"
He found himself breaking out of the small stuffy office and running down towards Beth's room, his vision becoming blurred by his tears, the overhead lights shining to brightly and also making his eyes sting.
"Beth, I'm coming baby, hold on!" He panted, suddenly consumed by the thought that he might already be too late. He skidded around the corner and charged into the room, desperately seeking to find his daughter waiting there for him, as she always was. But the room was completely empty.
"BETH!" The anguished shout echoed out through his bedroom and across his sparsely furnished apartment. He sat bolt upright, hair sticking clammily to his forehead by tiny rivulets of sweat, his breathing ragged and loud in the otherwise quiet room. He tore the bed sheet away from him, wondering if that was what had somehow made him feel like he was being throttled. The dream…
"Beth!" He whispered, then groaned and laid back down in the darkness of the early hours, replaying the dream over and over in his mind, the overtones of it gnawing at his insides like a ravenous dog, until mercifully, his exhaustion began to overcome him.
Kris jumped in the Cobra and started the engine, checking the street for signs of watchers, just as Sabrina herself was doing, as she fastened her seatbelt.
"I don't see anything, do you Kris?"
Kris checked her rear-view mirror again before answering.
"No. Nothing out of the ordinary." She sighed. "He's probably long gone by now anyway." She pulled the car away from the kerb and they headed towards the city, towards Memorial Hospital, both worried that Kelly may be in some danger.
"Uh, I dunno - he might be following us." Sabrina felt too edgy. She hated the thought that she was being watched. Was Kelly being watched, in her room? That thought left a cold feeling prickle down her spine.
"Step on it a little, huh, Kris?" She murmured, still glancing around, and behind them.
Kris nodded, not needing to be told.
Kris entered Kelly's room first, as Sabrina checked at the desk to ask who else, if anyone, had visited Kelly.
"Kelly!" Kris was very much surprised to see her friend not only awake and out of bed, but fully dressed, looking out of her window at something.
She set her bag down on the end of the bed and approached Kelly, anxiety written plainly all over her face.
Kelly turned to greet Kris but was interrupted by Kris's anxious questioning.
"What are you doing out of bed? Did the doctor say you could get up? Shouldn't you be sitting down, or something?"
"Kris! Hey, slow down! Nice to see you too!" Kelly held her arms out to Kris to try and placate her. "I'm feeling a lot better today! Really, I'm okay!" She smiled.
"Oh! That's great!" But Kris still wasn't convinced. "What were you looking at?" She gestured towards the window. Then suddenly remembered why they had high-tailed it so quickly back to the hospital.
"Hey, has someone been watching you? Is somebody out there?" Kris's voice was tight with worry and she went to the window and peered out, almost expecting to see someone down below, hurrying guiltily away. But all she could see were flower beds and a small pond.
"No! Why?" Kelly seemed perplexed. "Kris, you're scaring me - what's wrong?"
"Kelly!" Sabrina appeared in the room, equally as surprised as Kris to see Kelly out of bed and dressed.
"Are you okay? Why are you out of bed?" She asked, walking over to join her two friends.
Kelly sighed, exasperated.
"Look, I'm alright!" She patted both Sabrina and Kris on the shoulder and tried not to feel to hemmed in by her friends concern.
"I had a really good night and I feel really fine today. Really. Please don't worry, okay?" Kelly tried to convince them both. Even though her head still throbbed and the lights made her vision dance a little.
"And," she began, gesturing for them to sit on the bed while she talked, "I remember what happened at the office. I remember the phone call, just before the explosions."
Kris and Sabrina sat, somewhat reluctantly, and listened. Kelly pulled a chair up and sat opposite them, feeling a little unsteady on her feet, but not at all wishing to show it. She wanted to get out of there - asap.
"I had just hung up from Charlie's museum contact, when the phone rang again, and someone with a really muffled voice said that he was sorry…!" Kelly shrugged her shoulders at Sabrina and Kris.
"And that's all he said, then he hung up…and then…" Kelly's brow creased and her eyes glazed a little, as the incomplete memory of exactly what happened to her after she replaced the receiver held her thoughts captive.
"Kelly?" Kris broke the silence.
Kelly snapped back to the present. "Sorry."
"Hey, no need to apologise!" Sabrina smiled. Then frowned.
"The thing is Kelly - we got a similar call just a little while ago back at the office."
Kelly looked at Sabrina questioningly.
"We went back to check over the damage - and someone called - like you just described - to say they were sorry you got hurt!"
"That's why I thought someone was watching you in here Kelly…" Kris tried to explain. "…someone must have known we were there, when they called."
Kelly thought about this for a moment.
"Do you think it has something to do with what happened at the restaurant?"
"I don't know," Sabrina answered, "but I do know I'm getting tired of being led around by our noses!"
Kelly drew in a deep breath then stood up. "Come on. I have to get out of here and we have to get to the bottom of this." She said defiantly.
"Have you seen my car keys?" She added suddenly, looking absently around the room.
Kris and Sabrina both stood up quickly, both realising that it was not a good idea for Kelly to be leaving right now.
"Um Kelly, why don't you wait for the doctor…" Sabrina slid a hand around Kelly's arm.
"I'm alright, Bri!" Kelly snapped. "Will you just stop fussing?"
She drew her arm away in agitation, but in that instant, Kelly knew she'd erred, in more than one way, and she dropped her head, already ashamed that she'd snapped at Sabrina. She looked back up to see both Kris and Sabrina holding her gaze steadily.
"Uh, okay Kelly." Sabrina's voice was smooth, but Kelly noted all too well, the slight edge that had crept there. "We're just concerned about you, that's all."
"The office isn't exactly a pretty picture you know, Kel." Kris added, her own memory serving her very well. Then she looked pointedly down to Kelly's arms, where the cuts were giving up their glaring evidence of the previous days' incident.
"I - I'm sorry." Kelly said, quietly. "I - I didn't mean that to come out like it did."
She looked earnestly back at Sabrina, then Kris. "I guess I'm just a little fractious." She shook her head at her uncalled for outburst.
"I'm really sorry. But I'm fine, and I just need to get out of here…"
Kelly tried to shrug off the weight of the apology, knowing that, by Kris and Sabrina's patient expressions, that her apology had been accepted. Without a word. She had good friends. She had great friends. She ought to remember that more often.
And…" She looked down at her rumpled and bloodstained clothing "…I could really do with a change of clothes, you know?"
"Okay Kelly." Sabrina nodded, wisely allowing Kelly to decide what was best for herself - even if it didn't sit right with her. "We'll take you home and call Charlie from yours while you freshen up. I called the museum back earlier … we need to start the legwork on the stolen antiques. And we called Charlie on the way here - he's trying to get the number and location of our mystery caller."
"Fine."
Kelly headed towards the door and Kris and Sabrina followed, casting each other suspicious glances. They couldn't stop Kelly from signing herself out from hospital, but she couldn't stop them from being right behind her, just in case.
The ride over to Kelly's house was mostly made in silence, much to Sabrina and Kris's concern. Apart from Kelly highlighting her worry regarding Charlie's reluctance for them to continue investigating all that was currently going on, Kelly had remained fairly tight-lipped as they had travelled across town. And both Kris and Sabrina knew that when Kelly had something to say, she would normally say it. Both Kris and Sabrina were relieved when they pulled up into Kelly's driveway.
Kelly promptly headed for the shower once everyone was offered drinks. Sabrina took this as a sign to get busy.
"Kris - I'm going to call Charlie okay?" Sabrina took charge, her usual energy brimming over, as she felt the need to be right at the heart and pulse of everything. Kelly wasn't right. Kris was worrying. Bosley wasn't around. She needed to be grounded by Charlie.
"Okay Sabrina. I talked to the telephone company and they won't release details of the call made to our office unless we issue a warrant." Charlie's response was pretty much what Sabrina expected.
"Private number, huh, Charlie?"
"Exactly, angel."
"So. I guess we need to go back to Central." Sabrina's voice was flat. She looked over to Kris, who rolled her eyes in her exasperation.
"That seems the logical approach right now, Sabrina." Charlie added, somewhat unnecessarily.
"Right Charlie." Sabrina paused for a second. "Oh Charlie? About the stolen antiques from Philadelphia. I have a list of all the items that were stolen, along with some interesting facts about some of them."
"Okay Sabrina. Is there anything that catches your eye?"
"Well Charlie - the antique pistol we saw being wielded at Cheerio's. Either it's a cheap replica - or it's the real deal." Sabrina answered. She cursed inwardly. That went without saying.
"What I mean Charlie is that," She tried again to explain her thoughts, "I think the guy who knocked off the restaurant really is carrying an antique. The thing is Charlie, I think he's carrying much more than just one piece."
Kris sat patiently, not quite understanding where Sabrina's information was coming from. Meanwhile, she had heard Kelly's shower switch off, and knew that Kelly wouldn't be long in joining them in her front room. She just hoped that Sabrina had more answers than questions, so that Kelly would have something firm to latch onto. She heard Sabrina sigh once more into the phone.
"Charlie - we need more time to trace all the missing artefacts from the museum..." Sabrina was restless, anxious… and more than a little worried.
"…and I think that most of the pieces are with our friend the Brit. We need to track him down Charlie…we need to track him down now."
Charlie caught all of this at once.
"Angels - do whatever you have to. After all, this is … your case."
Sabrina and Kris grinned at each other.
"Thank you Charlie!"
Kris had stood up and hurried to join Sabrina at the phone.
"Thanks Charlie!" She chimed in, just before Sabrina replaced the receiver.
Kelly finished dressing, then made her way out of her bedroom and into the front room where she saw Sabrina perched on the end of her sofa, Kris standing right along side of her. She fluffed at her damp hair, wanting it to dry out quickly, but not wanting to be bothered right now with her hair dryer.
"So, what's going on? What have I missed?" She aimed the jovial remark at Kris, knowing that she always, always had an ally in Kris, no matter what.
"Have you spoken to Charlie?" Kelly insisted, when Kris didn't respond in kind. "What did he say?"
She really didn't like the look that Kris tried to aim at Sabrina. And, when she looked Sabrina full in the face, she really didn't like the blank look that she found there either.
