Working the case-part two
"She's in here," said an aide showing Nick and Tatum to a room where a bunch of kids were watching Hannah Montana. They had explained what they were there for and after Lucy's therapist cleared them to speak to her they were given an escort around the home.
"Do you think it would be possible to speak with her somewhere private?" asked Nick. He really didn't want to tell a seven year old in front of the other kids that her sister was dead.
"Go down the hall and to the right and you should be in the quite lounge. I'll bring Lucy to you," said the aide. They nodded and headed down the hall until they found the lounge. They had just sat down when the aide came into with Lucy. Nick almost didn't recognize the kid they brought in; unlike the girl in the photo she looked happy and well cared for. Her eyes didn't have that sad and lost look in them.
When Nick heard she was in a group home he didn't have much hope for her, most group homes in the Vegas area were crowded beyond belief and it was really just a holding pen until they could be fostered out. This was one of the best he had seen in a long time. Lucy didn't even notice Nick, but she spotted Tatum right off and ran at her full tilt.
"Tatum!" she hugged Tatum tightly around the waist, well has much of Tatum's waist she could get around.
"Hi honey," said Tatum patting her head. The aide slipped out and Tatum sat down with Lucy. "How are you sweetie?"
"Good. We all got to go to the mall and see Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Brendan threw popcorn at me cause he's a meanie." Tatum grinned at the little girl and went to speak when Lucy poked her in the stomach.
"How's your baby?"
"It kicks me when I wanna go to sleep." Tatum sighed and nodded at Nick. "Lucy I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Nick Stokes; he works with the Crime Lab." Nick squatted down in front of Lucy so he was at her eye level.
"Hi Lucy," he held out his hand and he didn't miss that fleeting look of fear and they way she looked at Tatum for reassurance. Poor thing.
"It's alright he doesn't bite," said Tatum. Lucy shook his hand quickly and looked back at Tatum.
"It's not visitor's day so why are you here?" asked Lucy. Tatum looked at Nick like he was going to give her a way out than back to Lucy.
"Sweetie I have some bad news…it's about Lana and," Tatum didn't even get to finish her sentence and Lucy's eyes started to water and she shook her head.
"NONONONONO!!!!!" She went to get up and Tatum made her sit down.
"I need you to be a brave girl for just a little bit longer for me please." She nodded at Nick and he pulled out the most decent and cleaned up picture of Lana post mortem he had and gave it to Tatum.
"I need you to look at this and tell me if this is Lana alright?" She gave it to Lucy and let her look it at for a minute and she gave the photo back to Tatum. "Is that Lana sweetie?"
She nodded and she started crying even harder. Nick felt his heart breaking for the little girl he hardly knew. But he had older siblings and could only imagine how much losing one of them would hurt. Thought losing Warrick sucked. Tatum was trying to calm the young girl down.
"I am so very sorry Lucy. I know how much you loved her and I'm sorry I didn't find her for you." Lucy wiped her eyes on her sleeve and just hugged on Tatum who stroked the younger girl's hair. "Do you think you can do one more brave girl thing for me?"
"Yeah," she said without any tone in her voice and she had that sad, lost look in her eyes again. Nick pulled out his PDA and showed Lucy the photo of just the man, seeing Lana again would upset her even more.
"Do you know who this man is honey?" asked Nick. Lucy looked at it closely and her eyes got wide and she looked shocked.
"That's my daddy? Did you find him? Is he alive?" Tatum looked at the photo and than back at Lucy trying to see some family resemblance.
"Are you sure this is your daddy?" asked Tatum. Lucy nodded and took the PDA out of Nick's hands and studied it closer.
"This is him…I don't wanna see him though. I don't like him…he left me and Lana." She handed the PDA back to Nick and looked back at Tatum. "Do I have to go back with him if you find him?"
"I'm not sure. We'll talk to Dr. Alford and Miss McGee and see what they say ok? You gonna be alright?" Lucy nodded.
"You gonna be here on Sunday?" asked Lucy.
"Where else would I be? I have to go back to work now, kay. You want me to get Dr. Alford or do you wanna go back with the other kids?" asked Tatum.
"I wanna go back with the other kids for now." Lucy took Tatum's hand and she looked at Nick.
"Thank you for finding Lana."
"Thank you for being such a brave girl," said Nick. He trailed behind the two as they made there way back to the TV room. Tatum patted Lucy on the head.
"Be good till Sunday kay." Lucy nodded and went back into the room. Tatum sighed and without thinking about it Nick put a hand on her back.
"They always seem to take it better than you somehow," said Tatum taking a deep breath
"Let's get out of here ok," said Nick. Tatum nodded and they walked out together, neither one of them noticing how close they were or the car that followed them back to PD.
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They agreed that Tatum needed to fill Alec in on what was going on and that Nick needed some sleep before he worked a triple and that they would meet him at the lab later on that night to figure out where they were going with this case. A few hours of sleep and a shower later Nick was back at the lab. Judy was grinning a bit when Nick stopped by her desk to pick up any messages.
"You looked like the cat that ate the canary. What's going on?" asked Nick.
"Just go into Grissom's office and see," teased Judy answering the phone. Nick rolled his eyes and headed into Grissom's office. Already seated were Tatum, Alec and their boss Captain Jantez. Grissom looked up at Nick and motioned for him to take a seat.
"We seem to have a slightly tangled web here. Your dead girl ties into our human trafficking case. I know Lana is your case; however we've been trying to find her for months. We're trying to figure out who takes what from where now," said Jantez.
"Lana was a minor who was sold and abused sexual and she died as a result of it. Lana's case should be investigated by us," said Alec. Nick looked over at Alec and wanted to pound him for his smug attitude. Tatum didn't say anything but he could see she was thinking about what was best for the case.
"CSI found her and have started the investigation," said Nick. Grissom looked at Tatum.
"Your thoughts," Tatum sighed. Why do I feel like that baby Solomon was gonna cut in half? She and Alec had started the investigation on the girls being trafficked and had been buried in it for months, however Nick had found Lana and was decent enough to bring them into the loop and she knew he wouldn't screw this up.
"Lucy identified a picture of her father being seen with Lana a few nights before her death. The father may have killed her, but he was also the one who sold the girls to be abused. We get him it leads us to the other girls and who sold them to start with. Personally I don't see why we can't all work this together, CSI gets the father for killing her, I want the guy who sold the girls out," said Tatum coolly. Grissom looked at her with a hint of a smile.
"That sounds fair to everyone who's been working their asses off here…Alec could you," started Jantez when Grissom stopped her.
"I think Tatum should be lead on this case." Nick looked at Grissom shocked as did Tatum and Alec. Jantez looked at little surprised but said nothing.
"What?" asked Tatum.
"You have the most experience here. You've worked with both teams and know how everyone works. And from what I've heard the three victims trust you and when it comes time to build the case the victims are going to need someone they can trust." Tatum nodded and shook Grissom's hand.
"Thank you. We'll need to see all of Lana's case evidence before we get started."
"Layout room seven. You remember where it is?" asked Grissom.
"Yeah." She stood up and Alec followed her out. Jantez shook Grissom's hand.
"Good to see you Gil. Hopefully the next time we see each other it will be bringing these assholes in."
"I hope so Helen." She left and Nick reminded sitting trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was going to be reporting to Tatum on this one.
"Is there a problem?" asked Grissom.
"She's a rookie Griss."
"She was a competent CSI for four years, has proven herself well over at Youth and Family and has been on this investigation for months now. Can you give me a real reason you have a problem?"
"She's pregnant, this could be bad for her health, all the stress," said Nick. Grissom gave him a look that said 'I'm not buying that one at all'
"Either work with her Nicky or step off the case," said Grissom. Nick sighed and headed out of Grissom's office.
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"Are you pissed?" asked Tatum. Alec sighed and looked over the evidence on the table.
"No…I mean you have worked with both sides and the victims do trust you more than me and well you are pretty than me so when the media comes a calling for interviews you make a nicer picture," joked Alec. He looked around and sighed. "God how did you work in a lab for so long? I've only been here an hour and I'm depressed." She could see what he meant, compared to the floor they took up the lab seemed closed in, dark and cold. It was quite and it wasn't that nice peaceful type of quite, it was funeral home quite. How did I work here for so long? Sometimes the cases she handled now were just as sad but at least the people were still alive, there was still a chance for them unlike those in the morgue.
"You get over it or you start taking happy pills in mass doses," said Tatum looking at the photos of the crime scene.
"Which were you?" asked Alec.
"I left," said Tatum. She looked at the address where Lana's body was found. Alec leaned over her shoulder to study the notes.
"The alley where they found her, according to Vice is where most of the illegals from Europe work when they come here. Mostly on night shift," said Alec. Tatum pulled out the still that the street camera got of Lana and her father. Poor girl looked like she was crying and almost begging. She was holding on to his jacket for dear life and he looked confused and frightened looking at her. Maybe he didn't recognize her as his daughter.
"Time code is around midnight, if Lana was a working girl and saw her father. Maybe she was begging to go home," said Tatum. Alec took the photo from her and stroked her arm and looked at her concerned.
"You gonna be ok? You're not gonna beat him senseless are you…not that I wouldn't mind…it was kind of hot seeing you beat that guy's ass. Couldn't believe you were a squint after seeing that." Tatum grinned.
"Would you like me to kick your ass, it can be arranged?"
"Don't tease me while we're working, unless you know where the supply closet is." Tatum went to answer when Nick came in and looked at the two of them who were standing a little too close. Alec stepped away and looked at Tatum to take the lead.
"We spoke to Vice and according to them the alley is near a bunch of places were the illegals from Europe work. If the time code is right, he was around their a few nights before Lana was killed. I say we go pick him up and see what he has to say," said Tatum.
"Ok," said Nick. She turned to Alec.
"Do you think you could get everything together so when he bring him in you can grill him?" asked Tatum.
"Will do," Alec picked up the files and headed back to PD. Tatum looked at Nick.
"You ready?" she asked.
"I'm driving this time," said Nick.
"Says you," she jingled the keys and Nick was stunned into silence and had to jog to catch up with Tatum.
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"That's Ivan, he's over there,' said a manager in the workshop when they came in and showed the picture.
"Thanks," said Tatum and she headed over to his work station. Nick got behind her.
"Wait up alright."
"Don't baby me," said Tatum almost glaring at him She got to Ivan's side. "Ivan Chekhov?' He turned and looked at Tatum, realized she was cop and went to bolt and before Nick could do anything Tatum had pulled out a collapsible nightstick and hit him in the knees bring him down. "Well that answers my question." She pulled out her handcuffs and cuffed him.
"Ivan Chekhov you are under arrest for human trafficking." She read him his rights and handed him over to Nick. "We'll add murder later."
"Murder, I didn't murder anyone!" protest Ivan.
"How about your daughter Lana?" asked Nick. The look on the man's face was of shock and horror.
"Lana…she's dead." He started sobbing and had to be hauled into the car. Nick shut the door and looked at Tatum.
"I will not baby you in the future. I just….forget it. That was kind of cool." Tatum shrugged.
"Always go for the knees," said Tatum. She got in the driver's side and Nick got in. I just didn't want you to get hurt is all. Not bad for a rookie.
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"I didn't kill my daughter! I loved her!" protested Ivan.
"You loved her so much you sold her into sex slavery along with Lucy who is luckily still alive," snapped Alec. Tatum and Nick were watching the interview from the viewing room. Tatum was looking at Ivan like she wanted to murder him and Nick really couldn't blame her.
"I gave my daughters to a family friend to care for and Lana ran away and Lucy is being well cared for," protested Ivan.
"By the State of Nevada for the past few months yeah. Before that she was living in a closet being raped and abused on daily basis if that's what you call being well cared for," spat Alec.
"He's good," said Nick. His initial annoyance at dealing with him started to disappear Alec was good at his job and they all had to work together for the time being anyway.
"Thanks. His partner retired that's why the position opened up I was lucky." Tatum sipped her water and went back to watching.
"What are you talking about? Lucy is being taken care of, I was told she would have a good home."
"What is she a dog you gave to the pound? She was your daughter and you should have protected her! You should have protected both your daughters and now one of them is dead and trust me if you that prison was gonna suck in the Ukraine, what till you meet the brothers in our prisons," said Alec.
"I didn't kill Lana! She ran away and was hooking. I took her back to where she was supposed to be staying!"
"He took her back to her pimp and he killed for running away," said Tatum sadly.
"We can still get him for selling Lucy and Lana," said Nick.
"I want the pimp and the girls," said Tatum. She got up and went into the interview room.
"Who did you give your daughters too?" asked Tatum. Ivan looked at her blankly. "Do not make me repeat myself!? You thought he was bad, I'm worse. I'm pregnant and pissed off. I want his name now!"
"So you can beat him too?" asked Ivan.
"That was a love tap compared to what Lucy and Lana went through." Tatum opened a file she had in her hand and showed him pictures of Lana when they first found her. "He broke in all her teeth. I'm not sure if that was before or after he raped her." He took the photo and was shaking. She pulled out another photo of Lucy.
"This was from six months ago and that is the least graphic one I have with me. So you tell me how this was any good for her?" He started shaking and he shoved the photos away.
"You are lying to me…he told me that they would be taken care of."
"Who?" asked Alec.
"Demetrius Patrof. I wanted…I wanted to come to America but I only had enough money for one of us so I was told that I could give him the girls and that he would get us here and they would be ok and they would have good homes here in America. They could be adopted no questions asked. I…I trusted him and when I saw Lana I thought she had run away and I took her back…I thought she was lying to me…I…I killed my daughter. Where's Lucy? I want to see my daughter!" Ivan demanded.
"Lucy is in state care she's very angry with you right now and I don't blame her at all," said Tatum.
"Please she's my daughter!"
"It's up to a judge and INS. You're here illegally, Lucy has a passport and you sold her to get here," said Alec. Ivan put his head on the table and started crying. Tatum sighed and left the room. Nick met her in the hallway.
"Will he get her back?" asked Nick
"I don't think so, INS is probably gonna deport him if our DA doesn't hold him for giving Lucy and Lana to a human trafficker. Does the name Demetrius Patrof sound familiar to you?" asked Tatum.
"Still waiting for Lana's rape kit to come back, but DNA is still backlogged."
"The more things change the more things stay the same." Alec came out the room.
"So do we call INS or charge him?" asked Alec.
"That's up to DA to decide…it's almost two in the morning you wanna wake her up?" asked Tatum.
"I guess the same goes for getting a warrant for Demetrius Patrof," said Nick.
"Well Judge Leyon owes me for a midnight run. I'll call him," said Tatum pulling out her cell and going down the hall. Alec looked at Nick.
"Why was she running for Leyon at midnight?" asked Alec.
"He got drunker than a frat boy during pledge week and she had to pick his ass up," Nick recalling the story Tatum had told him over pizza at her place.
"That is drunk," said Alec. "Look I'm sorry if I stepped on your toes earlier. It's just I've been working this for almost six months when my old partner was still here and I was a little leery of giving it up."
"So you're cool with Tatum running the show though?" asked Nick Alec shrugged.
"I was stuck with this case until Tatum came on and got the victims talking. She's really good at what she does. Besides she's my partner, I've taken the lead on cases, she's taken the lead. In the end if it gets solved what's the difference." They stood their in silence for awhile before Alec spoke up again.
"So you know Tatum does AA? I didn't think anyone here knew that?" You know, thought Nick.
"She had to haul me home one night to and it came up." Alec was going to say something when Tatum came back to them hanging up the cell.
"He's willing to give us the warrant if we get DNA on Lana," said Tatum.
"Let's go bug Wendy than," said Nick.
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"Oh my god you look so pretty," said Wendy coming up to Tatum and hugging her. "No one brings me cake anymore since you left."
"I'll bring you some if you tell me the DNA from Lana is up front," said Tatum. Wendy twirled in her chair over to the computer and started typing. Alec looked around the lab and seemed lost.
"This looks cool," said Alec going to touch a machine and Wendy smacked his hand.
"That is more than we make in a year don't break it."
"Ok…" said Alec. Tatum looked at Nick and grinned.
"It's like a museum don't touch things," said Tatum.
"Be grateful she didn't throw you out. When Sanders ran the lab I pissed him off and he threw me out," said Nick.
"You squints are so violent," said Alec.
"Squints?" asked Nick raising an eyebrow.
"You know squints because you guys…squint with the microscopes and the looking and I heard it on Bones and I'm just gonna shut up now," said Alec sitting down. Tatum grinned at Alec and he smiled back at her and Wendy caught it.
"Ok…your DNA should be ready about," the printer dinged. "Now." She pulled it. "Male, unknown but if you get me something to compare it should narrow things down."
"Well let me call Leyon and see if he's willing to take it." Tatum walked out of the lab and Wendy called out to her.
"I want my cake."
"I'll get you your cake Wendy so relax." The sound of glass breaking and Alec looked sheepish at the broken test tube.
"That wasn't expensive was it?"
"No it just had a flesh eating virus in it," said Wendy. Alec went pale and Wendy grinned. "We squints like to play around with the newbie's around here."
"I see why Tatum stayed here so long," said Alec.
"We got a warrant on the way. Who wants to pay Mr. Patrof a visit?" asked Tatum.
"I do," said Nick and Alec at the same time.
"Teamwork…it's a beautiful thing," said Wendy wiping away a pretend tear.
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Tatum was able to get a warrant for Patrof's business and his home, they hit the business first though because of what it was, a strip club.
"Wonder where he finds his girls?" asked Tatum. She parked the car and Alec and Nick both got out and went to the front door. The bouncer looked them over but he noticed Nick's vest and Alec's badge on his jacket and let them in. The club was packed and they had push there way through the crowd up to the bar. Tatum pulled out her badge and showed it to the bartender.
"Demetrius Patrof? Where is he?" The bartender jerked his head over to another room and went back to pouring drinks. They walked past the stage and Nick looked at the girl on the stage and she didn't look a day over twenty one to him. There eyes locked and she had that same look that Lucy had in her photos lost and scared out of her mind.
They went into the private room where an older man was sitting on a sofa with at least six girls and two other guys.
"Demetrius Patrof?" The older man with black hair with gray streaks looked up and smirked at Tatum.
"If you're looking for a job honey you need to come back when you get your weight under control. It's a shame your hot too, natural redhead I bet." He leered at Tatum and she just gave him a smile.
"I'm probably too old for you anyway. You like them under eighteen anyway," said Tatum.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. All the girls who work here are legal and of age."
"Really that girl on stage looks like she's sixteen," said Nick.
"And I bet they work here of there own free will not fear of being beaten to death," said Alec.
"What are you three going on about?" asked Patrof.
"Lana Chekhov sound familiar to you?" asked Tatum.
"Not at all," said Patrof.
"Really her father says you told him that if he gave you his daughters you would find them homes here in the States," said Alec. Nick looked at Patrof's hands and noticed that his hands had a few bruises on them and that could be a sign that he hit Lana with his bare hands.
"How did you hurt your hands?" asked Nick. Patrof looked at his hands and shrugged.
"A group of guys got grabby with one of my girls and me and another bouncer took care of them."
"We have a warrant to search your club and your home. According to Lana's father he was told by you that his girls would be taken care of. Instead you sold his five year old to a rapist and his fifteen year old was a hooker for you." Tatum handed him the warrant and he almost ripped it out of her hands to read it.
"This is ridiculous I have never heard of any of this and I don't sell children and I have never killed anyone." He stood up and approached Tatum threateningly. Alec got in front of her.
"Back up and sit down before I make you sit down," said Alec. Patrof sat back down.
"We're gonna start in the office and than question your girls and maybe your customers if I feel like it. So sit down and shut up," said Tatum. "Alec can you watch him and make sure he doesn't go anywhere." Alec nodded. Tatum and Nick went into another room that was Patrof's office. Nick pulled out a pair of latex gloves and Tatum grabbed a pair too. Nick looked at her.
"Not a CSI anymore."
"Doesn't mean I don't remember the rules." He grinned and started looking through Patrof's desk. Tatum went across the room to check out a closet when the floorboards under her gave a huge creak. They looked at each other and Tatum jumped up and down a little on the floor and it moved.
"Ok I'm fat but not that fat."
"Trap door?" asked Nick. They moved a rug out of the way and found the hinge of the trap door. Nick pulled it open and they both drew their weapons.
"After you," said Tatum. Nick shook his head and descended down the stairs with Tatum behind him. They went down a long hallway and at the end of the hall was a locked door. Tatum pulled out her pen knife and started on the lock and popped it.
"Where the hell did you learn how to do that?" asked Nick.
"My dad locked his keys in the car one day and this was easier than breaking out at a window. Wanna lead the way." Nick opened the door and was shocked by what he saw. The room was filled with girls who were still in their teens and looked scared out of there minds.
"Oh god," said Nick. Tatum put her weapon away and came into the room.
"It's ok we're here to help you," said Tatum. Nick got on his radio and requested for back up and for medical transport.
"I think Patrof knows about the girls in the basement?" asked Tatum.
"He's about too," said Nick. They told the girls to stay there and that they would be back and went upstairs and back to the VIP lounge. Patrof was looking at Alec smugly and Nick couldn't wait to wipe that smug look off his face. Tatum pulled out her cuffs and grinned at Patrof.
"I found your stash downstairs." The smug look on Patrof's face faded to be replaced with a flash of disbelief. "They really look like there here of their own free will."
"I brought them to America they owe me." Alec grabbed him by the collar and made him face the wall while Tatum cuffed him.
"Yeah I owe you a cell downtown," snapped Tatum. "Demetrius Patrof you are under arrest for human trafficking, kidnapping, and the murder of Lana Chekhov."
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Two days later
Tatum and Alec were taking a break from the case and were out for lunch at Vino's, a little Italian place a few blocks from PD.
"So Wendy has about half our DNA ran, Mandy is still weeding through prints in the basement and Archie is running all the girl's passports to see if they're legal passports and to see if any are in missing persons. Patrof has a lawyer but I don't see any lawyer getting him out of this. All those girls were underage," said Tatum sipping her tea. Alec nodded and Tatum sat her drink down and frowned.
"Are you alright, you've been kind of quite since we brought Patrof in." Alec sighed and sat his fork down.
"You promise to be honest with me?" Ok where is this going, thought Tatum.
"Yeah."
"Did something happen between you and Stokes before you left the lab?" Tatum raised an eyebrow and Alec went on. "When we first went out for dinner you pretty much told me everything about you before you came to Vegas but you never did tell me who got pregnant and I didn't push it because it was your business and not mine. But…"
"So what brought on the need to know now?" asked Tatum.
"It was something Catherine Willows said last night."
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"Hi I'm Alec Norwich," he held his hand out to Catherine and she shook it.
"Catherine Willows. So what do we have here?" she gestured to the table where the case they had so far was laid out.
"The girl's passports. We have over thirty here and we're trying to match passport with the girl it belongs too," said Alec. It seemed over whelming to him but Catherine just grinned.
"Ok, we have pictures of the girls from the club and Archie can scan the faces and match them that way," said Catherine.
"God you squints are wonderful." Catherine grinned and gave a mock bow.
"I've heard some pretty good things about you too." She started picking up the passports and she grinned at him. "So you're Tatum's partner," she let the sentence trail off and her grin got bigger. "Not to be nosy but I saw you guys sharing an I-pod in the break room waiting for DNA, looked a little chummy to me." Alec shrugged, he wasn't about to go public with his relationship in the middle of a case. Catherine bagged finish bagging the passports.
"It's good that she's moving on, she was really hung up on Nick for awhile. I didn't think she would ever get over that considering how it ended."
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Tatum sighed and wished she could kick Catherine's ass, Alec looked a little dishearten and Tatum decided to set him straight. He deserved her being totally honest with him.
"Ok, here's the deal. Nick and I spent some time together and I think the cliché saying of 'one thing led to another' goes here and we did sleep together and yeah he is my baby daddy. But I felt one way and he felt another and in the end it really didn't mean anything and than I quit the lab and I got to met you and I really like being with you." She took his hand from across the table. "I really mean that." Alec squeezed her hand back and went to say something when his pager went off.
"DNA is finished." He called for the check and some doggie bags. "I like being with you too." They left the restaurant together and didn't notice the guy behind them get up and leave too.
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A week later
Nick was happy to get out of the rain and walked into the dinner and looked around until he spotted Tatum sitting in a booth near the back. He went over to her and sat down; she was eating a bagel and a bowl of fruit salad. Tatum looked over at him and shrugged.
"You don't mind that I started breakfast without you? I was starving."
"No not at all." The waitress came by and took Nick's order for coffee and a plate of eggs and bacon. "So how's the case against Patrof coming?"
"The D.A is gonna throw the book at him for everything. Over thirty girls in the basement and she's charging with multiple counts of rape, abuse and trafficking and she's going for life without parole for what he did to Lana. We're waiting for the feds to come in and take the case though when they realize Patrof has been doing this for over ten years and god knows how many girls," said Tatum finishing her bagel.
"What about Lucy's dad is he going to testify against Patrof?" asked Nick.
"Yes but I don't think he's going to get Lucy back. Her social worker and her doctor are very against it and to be honest so am I. She's starting to do a little better. I'm going to go see her this weekend and show her where Lana is buried." Nick had heard through the grapevine that Tatum and Alec had taken care of burial for Lana so she wouldn't be put in a Jane-Doe graveyard.
"So how was your shift?" asked Tatum.
"Busy has usual...I realize that nothing surprises me anymore about Vegas," said Nick telling her about the case that had brought them to an S&M club and how it just didn't seem weird anymore. Tatum grinned.
"You miss the lab don't you?" asked Nick.
"Only the fun cases you nightshift monkeys seem to find."
"You could come back you know after you have the baby." I really want you to come back. It just popped into his head without warning and he almost said it out loud. He made himself take a drink of his coffee and nearly burnt a layer off his tongue.
"I like where I am. Not so many dead people and no David Hodges it's really a win-win-win." Nick allowed himself to laugh and Tatum grinned at him.
"You know I really liked working with you again," said Nick. "Do you think that maybe we could maybe try that friendship thing again?" Dump your boyfriend for the love of god. It almost came out of his mouth again and he forced himself to drink another sip of the boiling coffee. Tatum reached into her bag and pulled out a folder and handed it to him.
"Actually the reason I wanted to meet with you was because I think maybe we can be friends and I think we can be civil about this," she gestured at the bump. "I really don't want things to end up like they were with my parents. You said you wanted to be part of the baby's life and here."
Nick took the folder and pulled out a stack of papers, it was a custody agreement. Part of him had hoped she wanted to meet him for something else but he had to remind himself that he let her go and she could do what she wanted including seeing other people. She trying and at least she's agreeing to let me see the baby. Nick started reading through the papers carefully.
"You don't want child support."
"Well I mean if you want to it's not a big issue. I got a raise and everything is covered by my insurance. So I'm gonna be ok, we're not gonna starve." God she was being almost too fair about this considering everything.
"Ok," He kept reading and saw that she had set up visits for him every other weekend, holiday and if he had a day off and wanted to see the baby he could. She had even cleared it for him to take the baby out of state.
"You really thought of everything," said Nick pointing out the ok to leave the state.
"Well your family lives in Texas and if you leave for the holidays it's only fair." Nick didn't think now was the time to tell Tatum that his parents and family didn't know that he had gotten someone pregnant. Could be fun at Easter, thought Nick. He kept reading.
In the event of my death, I wish for my child to be placed in the care of my father. Master Sergeant Wallace T Fritz currently stationed at Fort Bragg-North Carolina. Nick stopped reading and looked at Tatum confused.
"What?" asked Tatum.
"You wanna send our baby to Fort Bragg?" He was snapping at her and Tatum took the papers back from Nick and pointed at the paragraph and the one under it.
"Only if I croak. You would still have visitation during the summer and holidays and wouldn't have to pay support," Nick cut her off.
"Why not let me raise the baby?" Tatum raised an eyebrow.
"Because until last week you weren't in a good place and I already talked to my father and he agreed that if I did die he would take care of the baby. Fort Bragg is a safe place and if he were to get custody he would ask to be stationed on base at all times and I know the baby would be safe and well cared for."
"So what you think I won't take care of the baby if you die?" Tatum didn't answer and Nick felt his temper start to rise. They had been getting along but her assuming that he wouldn't take care of the baby if she died was upsetting.
"Why don't you think I'll take care of the baby?" asked Nick trying to stay calm.
"It's not that I don't it's just, I feel its best that it be with my family. I want to bring you into this but you I still have issues trusting you. This isn't something you can just pick up whenever you feel like." Not like this relationship, back with the hot/cold but no, not again with you, never again with you.
She and Alec had started staying over night at each other's homes, they went to HR and filled out the paperwork about being a couple on the force. They agreed to not hide what they had anymore and to be honest she was starting to fall in love with Alec. Alec was the one who urged her to meet with Nick this morning and get the custody settled and he had been in favor of giving Nick custody if she died.
"Tatum that's his baby. Shouldn't he take care of it if you go?" asked Alec.
"If I could trust him to not go back on his word that yeah I would, but he goes back and forth too much for my liking and this isn't something you can just jump in and out on. Visits and holidays are one thing, but to have him be in charge of my baby twenty four-seven. No. Until I feel that he can be trusted he gets visits and holidays," said Tatum.
"What would he have to do to get you to trust him again?" asked Alec.
"Don't know," said Tatum. He can't go back in time and take back how he acted, if he could do that I would trust him again.
"Look Tatum I was in a bad place and I acted like a jerk, but I'm not going to sign these. If you die I want the baby to stay here with me. I want you to trust me again." He reached across the table to touch her hand and she jerked her hand away. I can't trust you, I want to and I can't.
"I have to go, have a lawyer call mine and we'll settle things that way." She took the papers back from him, threw some money on the table and left. Nick groaned and followed her outside. It was still raining and she was digging through her bag for her keys. He got next to her and touched her arm.
"Honey." It was the tone he said it in that made her want snap. He had used that tone with her right before she went to bed with him, before she let herself fall for him and he treated her like shit. Hot/cold, hot/cold…god what do you really want from me?! She took his hand off her and glared at him.
"Don't you ever call me that again! You lost that right months ago. You lost the right to have any say in anything about me!"
"You have my baby I think that gives me some say!" snapped Nick. Damn it things were going well and I blew it again but she has no right to question me wanting to raise my baby if something happens to her.
"Oh now it's yours! Two months ago you couldn't deal and now you can! You think you can just come and go into my life whenever you feel like and do you really think about how it makes me feel? How much it really hurts? Working with you is one thing this is something different. I'm trying to make this fair between us and you get pissed off because I'm not just gonna hand the baby over to you like that!"
"I didn't mean to hurt you and I don't know how many different ways I can tell you that I'm sorry and how to make you believe me," said Nick
"You get to live your life like nothing ever happened between us and I don't. I get to wake up every morning and try to hide it under a shirt or jacket. I get stares around the department because I won't name who, I had to leave the lab because I wanted to be safe and you have the balls to question my decision about it's care when your life hasn't changed at all. You don't have the reminder under your shirt everyday that you lied to me!" She angrily wiped her tears away and it dawned on Nick how much he really had hurt her. It wasn't just that he lied and treated her like shit, she had needed him something that was probably against her nature to admit and he walked away. She let her guard down to him and he threw it in her face. I am sorry for that and I really do miss you.
"I'm going home now and back to someone who isn't going to screw me over at the drop of hat and unlike you has been there for me pretty much since day one." God she knew how to hit below the belt. "Call me when you get a lawyer!" She dug out her keys and got in the car and drove off leaving Nick in the rain. He sighed and got in his truck and drove off.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
He sat in his car and watched the exchange between them and shook his head at what he just witnessed.
"She's very pretty Nicky…I should have known you would go for a red-head. I see you treat her just like you treated me. You haven't changed at all, still the same self absorbed man. Don't worry Nick; I'll take care of her and the baby. You won't have to worry about her much longer.
Nigel Crane put his car into drive and left the dinner and drove back to Tatum's apartment. He went into the empty apartment next to Tatum's and went into the crawlspace that went into her attic and watched her sleeping through the peep hole into her bedroom. She had today off and was sleeping in her bed, she slept like a child blankets pulled close to her, her arms wrapped around her stomach cradling her unborn child.
"I'll take very good care of you Tatum don't worry."
I've been a bit busy with school and only have six weeks left until I graduate so updates may take a bit longer.
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