A/N Thanks for your continued support and encouragement. No beta, all mistakes are mine.
Seventy-eight minutes; Seventy-eight minutes since the fragile thread holding Captain Sharon Raydor together snapped. Andy paced slowly up and down the dreary hallway outside her hospital room, his hands constantly moving over his face, through his already tousled hair. Lieutenant Louie Provenza leaned back against the adjacent wall, silently watching his friend. Having sent Mike and the rest of the team back to PAB, Provenza just couldn't make himself leave; not yet. He was worried, not only for his Captain but also for his partner and best friend. Hysterical was not a word that he would have ever in a million years associated with his ever stoic Captain, but today was not an ordinary day. Hell, after the past week, he wasn't sure exactly what ordinary was. To find out so crassly that her eldest child was missing shattered Sharon to her core. Her reaction, given that she was already physically and emotionally spent, still seemed so out of character. But, it wasn't until they all realized that even Andy would not be able to calm her that things continued to spiral downward to the point that Sharon became physically ill and lost consciousness. Moments after that, Dr. Liu arrived, banning everyone, including Andy from Sharon's room. That had been almost an hour ago and Provenza wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to keep him out. "For the love of god Flynn, can you be still for just a few minutes?" Louie barked before he could stop himself. Taking a deep, regretful breath, Provenza stepped closer to his best friend who was now starring at him. "Sorry, I shouldn't have…"
Slowly shaking his head, Andy moved to lean against the pale beige wall across the deserted hallway. "You know, I thought I was scared yesterday and the day before that and when she was missing but… I didn't know what scared was until now. If we don't find Emily…" His voice broke, gradually he eased down the wall, his blue jean clad butt coming to rest on the cool tile floor. Resting his elbows against his knees, Andy buried his face in hands. "I've never seen her so…completely undone. What if this is all too much…what if…?
"Stop. Stop it right now!" Provenza pointed his finger at the closed door. "That woman in there, the one that you love beyond reason…she is stronger than all of us. She has already proven that. This is just...a small setback. Once she is able to calm down and rationally focus on…"
"Mr. Flynn?" The doctor's voice jolted both men from their conversation, Andy quickly stood, following the Doctor into Sharon's room. He was surprised to find her bed empty, instead she sat in a chair beside the window. She made no effort to acknowledge his presence, instead her eyes remained glued to the window.
"Is she okay?" Andy asked Dr. Liu in earnest.
Taking him gently by the elbow, the Doctor guided Andy closer to the bed. "She's managing better than before. Physically, she's doing well; better than I expected actually. She has a tremendous threshold for pain, but we knew that already." Andy's focus on what the doctor was saying waned as his deep brown eyes automatically drifted back to watch woman he loves so dearly. A gentle hand to his shoulder captured his attention once again. "Andy...as we have discussed before, I've been equally concerned about her emotional wellbeing and after what transpired this morning I feel my concerns are valid. That being said, I think being here, locked in this hospital could possibly do her more harm than good. She still expects me to release her today. But I wanted to get your opinion, before I make a decision." Andy slowly nodded his head. "If I agree to release her, you do understand that there will be a long list of ground rules. She needs rest, she needs to stay calm, she needs around the clock care and supervision."
"I'm not planning on leaving her side, even for a second." Andy interrupted.
"I understand that, but we both know things will not be as simple as we would like, especially now that her daughter is missing." Andy nodded his head once again, the regret etched deep on his face. "Logistically, do you feel she will be safer here or at home?"
Andy turned, his attention drawn back to Sharon. Honestly, he didn't know the answer to the doctor's question but he did know what would be best for Sharon. "Home." He simply replied.
"Home it is then. I know you have arrangements to make with your team so let's say..." Dr. Liu glanced at her watch, "a couple of hours then? That will give me time to run a few more test and also decide about possible medications."
"Thank you Doctor." Motioning to the hallway, "If you will excuse me for just a minute, I need to let Provenza know what's going on."
"Take your time Mr. Flynn, I'll be with Sharon."
Stepping back out into the hall, Andy waved at Provenza who was now at the opposite end talking with one of the SWAT officers who had stepped inside the double doors. "Everything okay?" He asked as Provenza drew closer.
"Yeah...fine. A plant was just delivered for the Captain..." Andy frowned slightly, "Don't worry, it's from Hobbs. Do you want me to bring it to her room?"
Shaking his head slowly, "No, that's what I was coming to tell you. Sharon's being released..."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Provenza questioned, the worry evident on his face.
Andy shrugged, "Honestly, I don't know anymore. The doctor is worried that being locked up here will add to Sharon's emotional stress, especially now that Emily…"
Nodding slowly in agreement, Provenza pulled his phone from his pocket, "Okay, I'll arrange for Officer Mitchell to drive you and the Captain home. I'll take the plant back to the office with me, that will be one less thing for you to have to worry with. Call me when you get her settled in at home."
"And if there's word on Emily..."
Patting Andy gently on the shoulder, "You'll know as soon as I do."
~~~~~~~~MC~~~~~
A soft groan escaped her dry, chapped lips. Her eyes fluttered open, only to slip closed again. Rolling to her back, she attempted to lift her hand to shield her eyes but realized suddenly that something wasn't quite right. Opening her eyes again, she blinked several times, the soft light shining on her was not as harsh as she initially feared it would be. Turning her head, she slowly took in her surroundings. It was in that moment, Emily Raydor realized her hands were bound together in front of her body with black plastic zip ties. With a small snicker, her mind automatically went to Ricky and the massive, glass jar of zip ties that sat on his dorm room desk during his first two years of college. Chuckling again, she mumbled quietly "god, I must be delirious." Rolling back to her side, Emily used both hands to push herself up in to a sitting position. Wishing for a bathroom and a drink of water, Emily once again looked around. The small basement was damp; chilled, Emily immediately wondered what happened to her sweater. She missed its warmth but most of all she missed the calming scent of her mother surrounding her. The small twin mattress on which she sat was surprisingly clean. With little effort, Emily scooted a few feet to the right. This allowed her to rest against the white washed brick wall directly behind her. Her eyes scanned the room again; this time settling on the small television several feet in front of her. The screen gave off a soft glow. She gaped, shaken at the image looking back at her. The candid shot of her mother at a crime scene was exactly the same as the one Emily had seen on the news just the day before. Her eyes slipped closed, tears threatening. She didn't want to begin to imagine what her mother was feeling right now.
Leaning her head back against the wall, she slowly breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, willing her body and mind to relax. She stopped when a noise from above drew her attention. She could hear the creak of wooden floor boards and the fall of footsteps as more than one person moved around. Their voices were deep and muffled, tilting her head she strained to make out their words. She wasn't sure how long she listened, trying to separate the sounds and movements in her mind. There were definitely two distinct sets of footsteps, yet she was almost certain that she heard three separate voices, although one of them said only a few words.
The sound of a door opening, then slamming shut suddenly drew her attention; a wave of panic washed over her as the sound of heavy foot falls on the stairs drew closer and closer. For a brief second, Emily wondered if she should lay back down and pretend to still be unconscious. But in the end there was no time for that. The man, if you could call him that, now stood directly in front of her, his crystal blue eyes connecting instantly with her light brown ones. Fear, like she had never known suddenly flowed through Emily. She instantly recognized Michael Schaeffer from his picture on the news. She felt trapped with the cool brick wall against her back and short, stocky man standing in front of her. The glint of the knife blade in his left hand reflected against the glare of the television. Drawing in a deep breath, Emily couldn't help but close her eyes as the man slowly knelt in front of her. It wasn't until she felt his calloused hand against her arm that she realized that he wasn't going to hurt her, instead he carefully cut the ties from around her wrist before slipping the knife back into in blue jeans pocket.
"Thank you." She whispered softly, careful not to meet his gaze.
He nodded once, but still did not speak. Standing again, he moved across the tiny space to open a small refrigerator fully stocked with bottled water. Twisting the cap to break the seal, he handed the cold bottle off to Emily. "Drink." Eagerly taking the bottle from him, Emily downed half of it in two large gulps. "Slow," he almost chuckled. Watching him over the edge of the plastic bottle, Emily didn't know quite what to make of the strange man-boy. In this very moment, he seemed harmless, but she had seen firsthand what he was capable of. His soft boyish face and crystal blue eyes left her nervous and confused all at the same time.
"I need to use the restroom."
Nodding, he pointed to the rear of the small room. Moving to the edge of the mattress, Emily carefully stood, surprised not to feel dizzy. The small bathroom was tucked away under the stairs and her relief was palpable when she realized the door did indeed lock. After taking a comfortable bit of time to herself, Emily slowly opened the door to the small bathroom. The sandy haired man now sat on the second to the bottom step. Unsure of what to do, Emily moved back to the mattress, sitting in almost the exact same spot as before, his blue eyes following her every move.
Pulling her knees tightly to her chest, Emily looked back at the man watching her before her eyes moved once again to the image of her mother on the small television screen. "Pretty," not realizing he had moved from his seat on the steps, the nearness of his voice startled her. She watched as he moved in front of the TV, his cubby fingers dusting lightly across the screen. Shivering, as a deep chill ran through her, she had no clue what he wanted or what he was going to do. But, she was certain she was about to find out.
~~~~~~~~MC~~~~~
A couple of hours lingered well into midafternoon, in the end it took four long, almost painful hours for Sharon to finally be released from the hospital. If Andy thought a somewhat hysterical Sharon was frightening, he quickly came to the conclusion that a silent, detached Sharon was even worse. So bad in fact, that Andy found himself questioning his decision to bring her home. Sharon had spent most of the last few hours staring blankly out the window of her hospital room while Andy and the hospital staff moved about around her. As they got closer to time to leave, it was almost like dressing a small child when he helped change her shirt and slip on her Uggs. She didn't speak, but would manage a small nod or shake of her head when spoken to. Even now as he sat beside her in the back seat of an unmarked SUV, she remained silent, her eyes never leaving the window. Leaning his head back against the seat, Andy's eyes slipped closed for a few moments, the sterile smell of the hospital still lingered on his skin. He decided what bothered him the most was the simple fact that she had not asked to speak to Ricky or Rusty. Even when he offered the phone to her, she simply shook her head no. She was shutting not only him out, but her kids as well.
Staring out the window, Sharon felt the world was moving by in slow motion. She knew Andy was worried about her, yet she felt safer cocooned in a blanket silence. She was afraid if she opened her mouth to speak, she would be unable to stop the waves of fear and anxiety swirling around inside of her. It wasn't until they passed the turn off for the condo that the need to speak became too great. She drew a deep breath, slowly letting it out, her chest ached, heavy with the weight of the last few days. "Andy…where are we going?"
The timbre of her voice was soft, yet void of her normal inflections. His deep brown eyes flew open as he turned to find her finally looking at him. Her eyes were dark, filled with pain and fear. Yet, Andy felt like a weight was suddenly lifted from his chest, to finally hear the low sound of her voice was like music to his ears. "We're not going home, Sweetheart. There is somewhere more important that we both need to be." Slowly she reached out, her hand coming to rest atop of where his sat on the seat between them. Automatically their fingers laced together. He looked over at her, a tired half smile lighting his features, "It may not technically be the right decision, but I know it is the best decision for both of us. We need to find Emily; we need to help the team find her."
Sharon drew another small breath, the pressure building in the back of her throat was almost too much, the sting of unshed tears blurred her vision. "What if we're too late…" The words echoed over and over in her mind, yet she couldn't say them out loud. Instead she simply nodded. Her fingers remained laced protectively his, while her eyes drifted back to the world slowly passing them by.
~~~~~~~~MC~~~~~
Lieutenant Provenza slammed the receiver of his desk phone back into its cradle for the third time in less than an hour. One dead end after another, they were no closer to finding Emily than they had been earlier this morning. He also knew he needed to update Flynn, but he dreaded making that call.
"Julio?" He started but his words fell silent when he looked up to find their Captain and Flynn walking slowing into the murder room. Shocked, Provenza stood quickly from his chair, as did the rest of the team. Moving in front of the murder board, Sharon pulled away from Andy's side despite his best effort to hold on to her. With a trembling hand, she carefully caressed Emily's picture. It was something, the team had seen her do many times before, but today the weight of this small gesture was felt by them all.
Instead of moving away, Sharon remained held in place by her fear and grief. With a deep breath, her forehead came to rest against the back of her battered hand. Andy moved behind her, his hands resting securely at her waist. He leaned in, his words soft against her ear. No one, not even Provenza, who was standing just a few feet away could hear what was shared between the two. A few moments later, they turned together to face their team.
Clearing her throat, the Captain's voice was low, hoarse, "Okay…Lieutenant, what do we have so far?"
"Captain, I really don't think you should…" But his words came up short at the shake of Andy's head. "At least, will you please sit down." Moving a few things to the side on the front of his desk, Provenza made room for her to sit and with Andy's help she slid atop the desk. "Mike?" Provenza nodded to the Lieutenant before sitting back in his chair.
"Captain…Andy, the white van was found abandoned off of Mullholland. It's at the print shop as we speak, but it appears to have been wiped clean with the exception of Emily's fingerprints. It is also being scanned for DNA but so far nothing."
"Do we know who owned the van?" Andy questioned, his hand holding protectively to Sharon's back.
"It was reported stolen two days ago in Orange County by a Mr. Fred Cox." Julio spoke up. "And the plates were stolen off of a florist van here in Beverly Hills."
"So another dead end." Sharon look around the room. "Where's Amy?"
The team shared a knowing look that did not escape Sharon or Andy. Provenza stood, "Um, Captain…Amy and Cooper are with the kids. Chief Howard felt it was in their best interest to move them to a safe house."
"Wait a minute." Andy interrupted, his voice raising an octave. "You're tell us that all of our children are in protective custody." Provenza nodded. "Why is this the first we are hearing about this. I spoke with Ricky and Rusty earlier, they didn't say anything about…"
"Andy…" Sharon's hand moved to the center of his chest hoping to calm him. "Is Gus with Rusty?" She turned her attention back to the Lieutenant.
"Yes Ma'am." Julio spoke up. "As the Lieutenant said, they are all together, even Nicole, Dean and the boys. I promise everyone is safe."
Moving her hand to her mouth, Sharon struggled to take a deep breath. The thought of their children being together at a safe house was comforting, yet overwhelming at the same time. Sensing her distress, Andy turned, gently cupping her face, he forced her to look at him. "Let's go to your office for a few minutes." Without a word, she let Andy and Provenza help her off the desk, together one on each side they lead her across the room and into to her office. She was surprised but thankful to find Andy's old leather sofa against the back wall of her office. Provenza turned to close the door and blinds while Andy helped her sit. "Drew and Ricky brought the couch from storage yesterday. They wanted you to have some place to rest when you came back to work. And Hobbs sent you that beautiful plant this morning." Andy nodded at the lily on the small conference table in the corner of her office. "I had Provenza bring it here instead."
Despite his efforts to distract her, Sharon's breathing was becoming more labored by the second. Moving her hand against her chest, she struggled to slow her pounding heart. "I…" She started to speak but the words would not come.
Knelling in front of her, Andy held gently to her left hand "Sweetheart…look at me." Andy soothed. "You have to stay calm, remember what Dr. Liu said." Her eyes closed, slowly she shook her head. Andy glanced up at a worried Provenza, "Why don't you get her some water?" As soon as her office door closed behind the Lieutenant, Andy pulled Sharon tight against his chest, the fingers of his right-hand tangling in her soft curls. "Calm down…I know it's overwhelming but the kids are safe and we will find Emily. I promise you."
"What…if…" she started.
"No what ifs." Drawing soft circles on her upper back, he could feel the tension easing from her body. Her breathing was still shallow but better than minutes before. "Why don't you lay down for a little while. I know you're exhausted." The fact that she did not argue told him that she was even more spent that she was letting on. Carefully Andy helped her turn and settle against the pillows at the end of the couch. He pulled a flannel throw from the back of the sofa, arranging it over her.
"Where's my cellphone?" her eyes met Andy's.
"At home."
"I need to…" Holding her side, she took another deep breath, "Try to get in touch with Jack. He needs to know what…" Her voice faded again, as single tear slipped down her cheek.
Andy sat beside her, careful not to bump her side, "It's already done, Ricky and I both left several messages for him. He will contact one of us soon. You know how Jack is." Leaning forward he placed a gentle kiss to her forehead, "Now, I need you to stay calm and get some rest. Can you do that for me?"
Squeezing his hand gently, her tired green eyes met his worried brown ones, "Yes." Andy stood, he was halfway to the door when she spoke again, "Andy…please find her."
The desperation that filled her voice tore at Andy's heart and instantly he regretted leaving her, even though he was only going to be on the other side of the door. He turned, using all the determination he could muster to sound convincing, "I promise, we will bring Emily home safe and sound."
Closing her office door behind him, Andy rested against it for a moment to gather his thoughts. The murder room was empty except for Buzz. "Where's Provenza?"
"In the breakroom." Buzz stood from the desk he was working at to step closer to Andy, "Sir, I know it's none of my business, but are you sure bringing her here was wise?"
Andy crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes dark, "You're right Buzz, this is none of your business." Turning quickly, he stormed off to find his partner, leaving Buzz to stare after him.