The Shooting Of Frank Donovan: A UC Novella
Frank gets shot in eerily similar circumstances as Keller. The team deals with the psychological repercussions of his shooting. Alex reveals a secret to both Jake and Frank. Jake has to do something against his ethical system and Monica reflects on her brother. Cody discovers Frank is more human than he acts and Frank discovers a new friend.
Chapter Ten: Back At The Nest
"You know, I never thought I'd say this about Donovan, but I'm used to him," Cody said as he and Monica stood in Frank's office. Jake and Alex had repaired themselves to the gym, where Alex was undoubtedly smoking or going after her punching bag--probably doing both simultaneously.
"He's functional, he's organized, and he's ours. And we still have him," added Monica as she took up Frank's pen and looked at it. Glancing around his bare desk, she found a stack of note paper. Taking a piece, she wrote "Welcome back, Frank!" and placed it in the middle of his desk.
"You know how Frank is going to react," Cody said with a grin.
"Give me one of his steely looks, most likely. I could use a steely look right now," Monica told him. "When I realized he'd been shot, Derek and Keller's deaths were running through my mind," she finished.
"Tell me. I feel a bit responsible, like I should have known about the third sniper," Cody told her as he sat down at Frank's desk and swung himself around in the chair."
"It's not your fault. No one could guess there was a third sniper," Monica told him.
Cody stopped spinning in Frank's chair. "Not even Frank guessed that one," Cody said.
"They tried to checkmate him," Monica said. "They failed in their attempt."
"Frank's got a damn good eye," Cody said as turned on the computer and began to tinker with the desktop. "He will give me hell when he sees this," Cody said, showing Monica what he'd done.
Frank's computer desktop now had the background of "Welcome Home, Frank....We Missed You."
"Welcome home. I guess that means we're a family," Monica noted. Cody looked at the computer, realizing what he had written. Home, not back. He'd written 'home'.
"Yeah, guess I'm used to the robot," Cody said, as the sounds of Alex punching her bag floated down to Frank's office.
"I didn't know the acoustics of his office were so good," Monica exclaimed.
Cody and Monica now heard the murmurring voices of Jake and Alex, mixed in with periodic whumps to the punching bag.
"Why that little devil! He can hear what's going on in the entire warehouse!" Cody said, surprised.
"No wonder he wanted his desk in just this spot. I thought he was into Feng Shui," Monica responded.
"Think he had something different in mind," Cody suggested.
"Like keeping us under his careful eye," Monica noted dryly.
"If it hadn't been for Frank's observation of people, many people from our cases wouldn't be here," Cody said.
"Tell me. Frank's just doing his job."
"He does a fine damn job," Cody said and Monica agreed.
"You all right with what happened?" Cody now asked Monica.
She thought a moment before answering. First Derrek had been killed. Derek Giovanni, her beloved brother. She'd come to understand from Frank that cops can, like Teddy C, go renegade, just like criminals. Likewise, two rivals can come together to achieve their given objective, like Quito Real and Sonny Walker.
"I can live with it," she finally said. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Cody said. "Just reaffirms my thoughts that he was built," Cody added.
Monica gave a small chuckle. "You can wobble him, but he won't fall down."
Now it was Cody's turn to chuckle. "I'm gonna go off for a drink--if Frank wants to know. Perhaps I'll pick up Stephanie," he said as he turned.
"See you tomorrow," Monica said as Cody left the warehouse.
***********
"So, you say goodbye to Keller's memory?" Jake asked as he leaned against the gym's wall closest to where Alex's bag was hung.
Alex threw a hard right punch to her bag and the bag shook. She looked hard at Jake, and dragged on her cigarette, considering her answer.
"Yeah. I said goodbye," she responded, throwing her bag another punch, the cigarette dangling out of her mouth.
"Careful you don't set fire to yourself. Then we'd have two of us out," Jake said.
"I could be a roommate to Frank," Alex said.
"Frank with a roomie? I never thought he was the type."
"Cody said Frank had a roommate when he was at the Academy."
"How'd he find that out? He find more information on Frank and didn't tell us?" Jake said, surprised.
"He's been asking around," Alex said and dragged on her cigarette. A small dusting of ash floated downwards and landed on her tank top shirt. She held her cigarette between her teeth and gave fast one-two punches to her bag.
Jake chuckled. "Frank's going to find out about that. He knows everything," he told Alex.
Alex took the cigarette out of her mouth. "He always gets what he wants."
"That's what makes him so damned good," Jake responded.
"Did you really think Frank was going to die?" Jake asked her next.
Alex took another drag on her cigarette. "Yes. No. I don't know. I saw the blood, and the wound, and I thought, well I don't know what I thought. I was thinking of Keller. I looked up, saw the warehouse, and thought of Keller the whole time," she said, sitting down on the weight lifting bench. Frank's bowflex stood in the gym's far right corner and Alex looked at it. She blew a ring of smoke.
"Are you in love with Frank?" queried Jake.
Alex gave him a sharp look. "Love? Love isn't the word to describe my feelings for Frank. He's there, pulled us through some tough cases. He's pushed me to go where I thought I couldn't go. And sometimes I discovered I liked what he pushed me to do," she said.
"He's tough. Hard as nails. He's blunt. Gave me a lot of talks, pointing out what was wrong with my decisions. He know just where to hit the mark," Jake responded.
"That's the psychologist in him."
"Damn good psychologist," Jake admitted.
"Would you have quit the unit had Frank bled out?" Alex asked suddenly, dragging on one of the last puffs of her cigarette. She flipped her hair out of her eyes.
Jake considered his response. He'd begun to value himself and to see in what direction his life would lead. Except for Father Michael, he hadn't had any family. At the Holidays, when other people were going off to see their families or significant others, Jake was alone in Chicago. It was lonely--too lonely--but this year he was determined to do things differently. After the trip to Bolivia, and in the line of fire, he'd come to the conclusion that he needed to get out more, see more of the world.
Since Keller's death, Frank had taught him he had the ability to be successful. He knew he was pompous and prone to making hasty decisions. Frank was teaching him that in the crime business, you had to think ten moves ahead of your opponent; crime was a psychological chess game and he was learning the rules. Jake was learning, from Frank, that what looked like the most expedient move could often be the fatal move--and he would be the one going six feet under if he made a hasty decision.
Keller had been an open, breezy personality, a big brother type to Jake. He'd accepted Jake's mistakes and had allowed him to run a bit wild in the unit. Frank was distant, reserved--and he expected Jake to follow Donovan's Rules. And Donovan's Rules were the rules of action which Frank determined at the start of every case.
Jake looked at Alex. Her bright blue eyes were gazing at him steadily. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I would have left the unit had Frank bled out. Keller, Frank, how much can I take? I know I'm a promising Agent but I'm not so sure I would be able to keep on going undercover, risking my life, for someone else," he replied.
"You've been thinking about leaving," Alex said this as a statement.
"Not until you brought it up," Jake said.
"You've thought about leaving. We all have," Alex said. "I thought about having a child with Keller," she added softly, a tear slipping down her face.
"You would have had to leave the unit," Jake's voice, soft, responded.
"I know. I wouldn't be able to mix children and this job."
"Is that why you started up with Keller?"
"I think so. Like me, he was alone. When he died, without kids, I was so lost. I didn't want to die alone, without someone to carry part of me on," she said, another tear slipping down her face.
"You gonna find Carlos?"
"Possibly. But not now," she responded.
"Why didn't you leave with him?"
Alex dragged the last puff of her cigarette and stubbed it out on the metal frame of the bench, then looked at Jake.
"I'm at war. I don't know what I want. First college, then law school. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. You know, save the world, all that crap. When I changed jobs, took on a different last name, I didn't know the pain could be so bad. Somehow, changing my last name to suit this job married me to this job. I'm Alex Cross, member of Special Operations Unit. I'm not who I was before I took this job."
"Know the feeling. It's like this unit is our spouse and for better or worse, its here for us," Jake said.
"Good thing we have Frank," Alex said, rising. "I'm off to the shower."
"See ya," Jake said as Alex ambled off towards the showers.
Jake remained leaning against the wall for a little bit. Thoughts were running through his mind, swirling around. At Jake's request, Frank had made the arrangements for Jake to enter a drug rehab and Jake would be checking in to the center in a few days. Only a month, he thought to himself.
Looking at the time, he decided to also take a shower, and head off to dinner--he'd spring for Morton's Steakhouse. He headed for the men's shower on the opposite wall from the women's.
Monica was passing by the gym on her way out of the nest. Jake called out, "Monica?"
Monica turned around, her braids swinging gaily. Jake wished he felt as gay as Monica's braids. They reminded him of little children swinging.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Cody leave?" Jake spent more time with Alex and he wasn't sure of Cody's relationship with their teammate.
"Yeah, he's gone off on his own date," Moncia responded, giving Jake the answer to his immediate concern.
"Wanna go out to Morton's for dinner? My treat," Jake asked her. "I, uh, know it's the anniversary of Derek's death, so if you want to be by yourself, I"ll understand," he finished.
Monica considered. "You not gonna take Alex?"
"I'm asking you," Jake said, coming over to the gym's door where Monica stood.
"Yes. Yes, I'd like to go to dinner with you," she said. "Derek enjoyed going to Morton's. We used to have a lot of good times there," she whispered. She looked at Jake. "Derek always told me that if he died, I was to go to Morton's on the anniversary of his death. Something to remember him by, something to remember all the good times we enjoyed," she said.
"Great," Jake said. "I'm going to shower and change. Want me to pick you up at your home?"
"Please. I'll be about an hour," Monica responded.
"See ya then," Jake said as he turned and headed into the men's shower. Monica stood for a moment longer in the doorway.
"Keller?" Monica whispered softly. "Keller, it was good to know you while you were here, you made my life richer. You helped me when Derek died. But Frank's here now, and I need to develop a working relationship with him. Hope you understand," Monica whispered to the empty gym.
"Love you, Derek Giovanni," she said in a louder voice, and a tear slipped down her face. She'd ask Jake to stop by the cemetery where Derek was buried. She wanted to lay flowers on his grave and give him his birthday present. Tomorrow would have been his birthday.
Then she, too, turned, and went on her way home to shower, and change for dinner at Morton's.
Frank gets shot in eerily similar circumstances as Keller. The team deals with the psychological repercussions of his shooting. Alex reveals a secret to both Jake and Frank. Jake has to do something against his ethical system and Monica reflects on her brother. Cody discovers Frank is more human than he acts and Frank discovers a new friend.
Chapter Ten: Back At The Nest
"You know, I never thought I'd say this about Donovan, but I'm used to him," Cody said as he and Monica stood in Frank's office. Jake and Alex had repaired themselves to the gym, where Alex was undoubtedly smoking or going after her punching bag--probably doing both simultaneously.
"He's functional, he's organized, and he's ours. And we still have him," added Monica as she took up Frank's pen and looked at it. Glancing around his bare desk, she found a stack of note paper. Taking a piece, she wrote "Welcome back, Frank!" and placed it in the middle of his desk.
"You know how Frank is going to react," Cody said with a grin.
"Give me one of his steely looks, most likely. I could use a steely look right now," Monica told him. "When I realized he'd been shot, Derek and Keller's deaths were running through my mind," she finished.
"Tell me. I feel a bit responsible, like I should have known about the third sniper," Cody told her as he sat down at Frank's desk and swung himself around in the chair."
"It's not your fault. No one could guess there was a third sniper," Monica told him.
Cody stopped spinning in Frank's chair. "Not even Frank guessed that one," Cody said.
"They tried to checkmate him," Monica said. "They failed in their attempt."
"Frank's got a damn good eye," Cody said as turned on the computer and began to tinker with the desktop. "He will give me hell when he sees this," Cody said, showing Monica what he'd done.
Frank's computer desktop now had the background of "Welcome Home, Frank....We Missed You."
"Welcome home. I guess that means we're a family," Monica noted. Cody looked at the computer, realizing what he had written. Home, not back. He'd written 'home'.
"Yeah, guess I'm used to the robot," Cody said, as the sounds of Alex punching her bag floated down to Frank's office.
"I didn't know the acoustics of his office were so good," Monica exclaimed.
Cody and Monica now heard the murmurring voices of Jake and Alex, mixed in with periodic whumps to the punching bag.
"Why that little devil! He can hear what's going on in the entire warehouse!" Cody said, surprised.
"No wonder he wanted his desk in just this spot. I thought he was into Feng Shui," Monica responded.
"Think he had something different in mind," Cody suggested.
"Like keeping us under his careful eye," Monica noted dryly.
"If it hadn't been for Frank's observation of people, many people from our cases wouldn't be here," Cody said.
"Tell me. Frank's just doing his job."
"He does a fine damn job," Cody said and Monica agreed.
"You all right with what happened?" Cody now asked Monica.
She thought a moment before answering. First Derrek had been killed. Derek Giovanni, her beloved brother. She'd come to understand from Frank that cops can, like Teddy C, go renegade, just like criminals. Likewise, two rivals can come together to achieve their given objective, like Quito Real and Sonny Walker.
"I can live with it," she finally said. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Cody said. "Just reaffirms my thoughts that he was built," Cody added.
Monica gave a small chuckle. "You can wobble him, but he won't fall down."
Now it was Cody's turn to chuckle. "I'm gonna go off for a drink--if Frank wants to know. Perhaps I'll pick up Stephanie," he said as he turned.
"See you tomorrow," Monica said as Cody left the warehouse.
***********
"So, you say goodbye to Keller's memory?" Jake asked as he leaned against the gym's wall closest to where Alex's bag was hung.
Alex threw a hard right punch to her bag and the bag shook. She looked hard at Jake, and dragged on her cigarette, considering her answer.
"Yeah. I said goodbye," she responded, throwing her bag another punch, the cigarette dangling out of her mouth.
"Careful you don't set fire to yourself. Then we'd have two of us out," Jake said.
"I could be a roommate to Frank," Alex said.
"Frank with a roomie? I never thought he was the type."
"Cody said Frank had a roommate when he was at the Academy."
"How'd he find that out? He find more information on Frank and didn't tell us?" Jake said, surprised.
"He's been asking around," Alex said and dragged on her cigarette. A small dusting of ash floated downwards and landed on her tank top shirt. She held her cigarette between her teeth and gave fast one-two punches to her bag.
Jake chuckled. "Frank's going to find out about that. He knows everything," he told Alex.
Alex took the cigarette out of her mouth. "He always gets what he wants."
"That's what makes him so damned good," Jake responded.
"Did you really think Frank was going to die?" Jake asked her next.
Alex took another drag on her cigarette. "Yes. No. I don't know. I saw the blood, and the wound, and I thought, well I don't know what I thought. I was thinking of Keller. I looked up, saw the warehouse, and thought of Keller the whole time," she said, sitting down on the weight lifting bench. Frank's bowflex stood in the gym's far right corner and Alex looked at it. She blew a ring of smoke.
"Are you in love with Frank?" queried Jake.
Alex gave him a sharp look. "Love? Love isn't the word to describe my feelings for Frank. He's there, pulled us through some tough cases. He's pushed me to go where I thought I couldn't go. And sometimes I discovered I liked what he pushed me to do," she said.
"He's tough. Hard as nails. He's blunt. Gave me a lot of talks, pointing out what was wrong with my decisions. He know just where to hit the mark," Jake responded.
"That's the psychologist in him."
"Damn good psychologist," Jake admitted.
"Would you have quit the unit had Frank bled out?" Alex asked suddenly, dragging on one of the last puffs of her cigarette. She flipped her hair out of her eyes.
Jake considered his response. He'd begun to value himself and to see in what direction his life would lead. Except for Father Michael, he hadn't had any family. At the Holidays, when other people were going off to see their families or significant others, Jake was alone in Chicago. It was lonely--too lonely--but this year he was determined to do things differently. After the trip to Bolivia, and in the line of fire, he'd come to the conclusion that he needed to get out more, see more of the world.
Since Keller's death, Frank had taught him he had the ability to be successful. He knew he was pompous and prone to making hasty decisions. Frank was teaching him that in the crime business, you had to think ten moves ahead of your opponent; crime was a psychological chess game and he was learning the rules. Jake was learning, from Frank, that what looked like the most expedient move could often be the fatal move--and he would be the one going six feet under if he made a hasty decision.
Keller had been an open, breezy personality, a big brother type to Jake. He'd accepted Jake's mistakes and had allowed him to run a bit wild in the unit. Frank was distant, reserved--and he expected Jake to follow Donovan's Rules. And Donovan's Rules were the rules of action which Frank determined at the start of every case.
Jake looked at Alex. Her bright blue eyes were gazing at him steadily. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I would have left the unit had Frank bled out. Keller, Frank, how much can I take? I know I'm a promising Agent but I'm not so sure I would be able to keep on going undercover, risking my life, for someone else," he replied.
"You've been thinking about leaving," Alex said this as a statement.
"Not until you brought it up," Jake said.
"You've thought about leaving. We all have," Alex said. "I thought about having a child with Keller," she added softly, a tear slipping down her face.
"You would have had to leave the unit," Jake's voice, soft, responded.
"I know. I wouldn't be able to mix children and this job."
"Is that why you started up with Keller?"
"I think so. Like me, he was alone. When he died, without kids, I was so lost. I didn't want to die alone, without someone to carry part of me on," she said, another tear slipping down her face.
"You gonna find Carlos?"
"Possibly. But not now," she responded.
"Why didn't you leave with him?"
Alex dragged the last puff of her cigarette and stubbed it out on the metal frame of the bench, then looked at Jake.
"I'm at war. I don't know what I want. First college, then law school. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. You know, save the world, all that crap. When I changed jobs, took on a different last name, I didn't know the pain could be so bad. Somehow, changing my last name to suit this job married me to this job. I'm Alex Cross, member of Special Operations Unit. I'm not who I was before I took this job."
"Know the feeling. It's like this unit is our spouse and for better or worse, its here for us," Jake said.
"Good thing we have Frank," Alex said, rising. "I'm off to the shower."
"See ya," Jake said as Alex ambled off towards the showers.
Jake remained leaning against the wall for a little bit. Thoughts were running through his mind, swirling around. At Jake's request, Frank had made the arrangements for Jake to enter a drug rehab and Jake would be checking in to the center in a few days. Only a month, he thought to himself.
Looking at the time, he decided to also take a shower, and head off to dinner--he'd spring for Morton's Steakhouse. He headed for the men's shower on the opposite wall from the women's.
Monica was passing by the gym on her way out of the nest. Jake called out, "Monica?"
Monica turned around, her braids swinging gaily. Jake wished he felt as gay as Monica's braids. They reminded him of little children swinging.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Cody leave?" Jake spent more time with Alex and he wasn't sure of Cody's relationship with their teammate.
"Yeah, he's gone off on his own date," Moncia responded, giving Jake the answer to his immediate concern.
"Wanna go out to Morton's for dinner? My treat," Jake asked her. "I, uh, know it's the anniversary of Derek's death, so if you want to be by yourself, I"ll understand," he finished.
Monica considered. "You not gonna take Alex?"
"I'm asking you," Jake said, coming over to the gym's door where Monica stood.
"Yes. Yes, I'd like to go to dinner with you," she said. "Derek enjoyed going to Morton's. We used to have a lot of good times there," she whispered. She looked at Jake. "Derek always told me that if he died, I was to go to Morton's on the anniversary of his death. Something to remember him by, something to remember all the good times we enjoyed," she said.
"Great," Jake said. "I'm going to shower and change. Want me to pick you up at your home?"
"Please. I'll be about an hour," Monica responded.
"See ya then," Jake said as he turned and headed into the men's shower. Monica stood for a moment longer in the doorway.
"Keller?" Monica whispered softly. "Keller, it was good to know you while you were here, you made my life richer. You helped me when Derek died. But Frank's here now, and I need to develop a working relationship with him. Hope you understand," Monica whispered to the empty gym.
"Love you, Derek Giovanni," she said in a louder voice, and a tear slipped down her face. She'd ask Jake to stop by the cemetery where Derek was buried. She wanted to lay flowers on his grave and give him his birthday present. Tomorrow would have been his birthday.
Then she, too, turned, and went on her way home to shower, and change for dinner at Morton's.