Hank's Haunting – 14

"Hey, Marco…it's Chet. Got a minute?"

"Sure. What's up?"

Chet's breathy sigh into the phone sent a chill down Marco's spine. It hadn't been that long ago that he'd held his crying younger partner in his arms on the floor of Chet's bathroom after what some might consider a passive suicide attempt. Marco and the rest of the guys honestly believed that he hadn't intended to hurt himself but he had reached the end of his proverbial rope and took a big risk with his life. That had occurred over a month ago and Chet had come a long way in recovering from his depressive episode especially after his heart to heart talk with his parents but the feeling of holding the younger man as he wept shuddering sobs on that morning was still fresh in Marco's mind. Now, he sat listening to his partner breathing on the other end of the phone and wondering if perhaps something had caused him to have a setback in his recovery.

"Come on, amigo. Talk to me," he encouraged trying his best to keep the alarm out of his voice.

Chet finally found the courage to speak up. "I…I know it's getting kind of late but…I need to ask you a question, ok?"

"Sure," Marco responded taking a seat in his recliner, tamping down the urge to bolt out of his apartment and rush over to Chet's place.

"Um, wha…what did Mrs. Stanley tell you and Roy the other night when you guys took Cap home from the bar?"

Marco leaned back in the chair wondering if he should share that experience with his friend. "How'd you find out about that?" Marco asked, his voice sounding tired.

"Johnny came by here yesterday morning and brought me breakfast and he mentioned it to me and…,"

"Yea," Marco interrupted. "He and Roy had a few cross words about it before the shift ended. John doesn't believe us but Chet…I was there. I heard it. I saw it. It's true."

"Well, I saw Cap bringing her into Rampart today when I went in to get my medical clearance and…and…,"

"Chet?" Marco sat back up quickly, adrenaline flooding his system in the same way it did when he was jolted from a dead sleep by the klaxons. "What happened? Why was she at the hospital?"

"Ok, ok, ok…let me start from the beginning," Chet said, back-peddling when he heard the alarm in Marco's voice.

E!

Roy shifted the receiver to his other ear and ran a hand through his thinning hair. After spending the day arguing with his wife the last thing he wanted to do was argue with his partner again too. He simply couldn't take any more.

"Why do you want to rehash all this again, Johnny? I know what Marco and I saw and I know what we heard. Your ass wasn't there so just get off your high horse and stop trying to…."

"Whoa…time out," Johnny jumped in. "You sound grumpy as hell. You sure I didn't interrupt somethin'?" Johnny spoke into the phone as he rummaged around in his sparse refrigerator for another beer.

"Yes…I'm sure…now what's going on?"

The younger man popped the top off the beverage and took a long drink as he stretched the curly black phone cord over the back of his couch and sat down. "A'right, look…I know I was kinda rude to ya about it last shift and…well, promise me you won't jump to any conclusions or…or, bite my head off or anything?"

Roy rubbed his forehead glad that his partner couldn't see him rolling his eyes through the phone. "Yea," he groaned tiredly. "I'll be a good boy…now, why do you want to hear the story again? It's not like you believe it."

"Yea, well…I'm beginning to wonder."

"What? Why? Spill it, Johnny." Roy sat up as he listened disbelievingly to the story Johnny told him about his visit to the Stanley house.

E!

Morning dawned finding Roy with a kinked neck from sleeping in an awkward position on the couch. Actually, it was more of a nap than deep sleep. Between his angry wife, his conversation with his partner and Mrs. Stanley's most recent injuries, Roy had done more tossing and turning than sleeping.

Joann made her way into the kitchen still seething over her husband's lack of attention the previous day. She huffed around the kitchen justifying her behavior and intentionally clanging the dishes loudly. If she couldn't sleep then neither would he. After all, she was the one who did nearly all of the work around the house. She was the one who spent hours maintaining a clean home, taking the kids to all their events, meeting with the teachers and handling school functions alone. Parent teacher meetings seemed to always happen when he was on shift. Stomach viruses, the flu and sibling arguments also seemed to primarily happen when he was at the station. Then, he would come home expecting her to have prepared his breakfast, have fresh sheets on the bed and if the night had been a particularly slow one and the kids were at school, he expected her to be between those sheets waiting for him too. Normally, none of those things were issues as each was rewarding in its own way. She knew what she was getting into when she married a fireman but just once a year…just one day out of 365…why couldn't the day be about her? She sniffled, wiping her damp cheeks then reached for a coffee cup which slipped out of her wet fingers and crashed into the sink breaking into several pieces.

"Stop breaking the damn dishes, Jo. I'm awake already!" Roy groaned, assuming she had broken the cup on purpose just to keep him from sleeping.

Joann leaned against the cabinet gripping the edge of the sink and blowing out her breath. She shook her head from side to side in disbelief. Even a tiny mishap was all about him. Her mouth hung slightly open as she tried to steady her nerves so as to keep from throwing something at him. "I should've listened to my mother," she mumbled to herself, just loud enough for Roy to hear.

Roy threw the afghan off his legs and winced as he sat up, stretching his aching neck. He stood up, walking into the kitchen wearing only a t-shirt and boxers and stood staring at his wife cracking eggs into a bowl.

"Jo, I'm sorry…I don't know what else to say."

She grabbed the whisk and began whipping the eggs without responding to him.

"Jo?" He waited while she continued to beat the eggs. "Jo, I forgot, ok? Don't take it out on the innocent eggs alright? They didn't do anything." His attempt at a little humor was unsuccessful.

"Well, I never forget the things that are important to you," she spat back venomously.

Roy closed his eyes, his chin sinking down to his chest. She was right and he knew it. "I know, Jo. I know and I do appreciate it…all of it. I just…I've been so worried about Rebecca that I just…,"

"Took me for granted?"

"NO," he responded cringing at the sound of his raised voice. "No, I have never taken you for granted. I just…I forgot the date, that's all. I just forgot. I'm sorry…more sorry than you could ever know." He waited for some response from her but when she stood staring at the bowl he decided to continue.

"Joann," he said softly but from a distance. "Joann DeSoto, I love you so much and I'm so sorry. I wish I could turn back time and fix what I broke but I can't. All I can do is tell you that I'm sorry. I know you're really pissed off right now so…I'm gonna, uh, I'm gonna go see Johnny and give you some time to cool down." He needed to follow up with his partner after their conversation last night and he didn't want to do it on the phone in front of Joann, not after this whole nightmare with the Stanley's had caused him to forget their anniversary.

Roy watched as her shoulders seemed to relax a little but she never let her guard down. When she didn't speak, he simply turned and headed for their bedroom to get dressed.

Joann heard the water running in the shower as she poured the eggs into the frying pan and dropped the toast into the toaster. By the time the toast had popped up and the eggs were done, she heard the telephone ringing. She rolled her eyes assuming that the caller was Roy's younger partner. "Oh, he's coming over there, Johnny so why do you have to call so early?" She mumbled to herself turning off the stove and heading over to pick up the receiver. She briefly thought about not answering it but since the kids were with her sister, she decided she had better make sure nothing was wrong with them.

"DeSoto residence," she huffed.

"Joann? This is Mike Stoker. May I speak to Roy please?"

"Um, he's in the shower right now. Can I have him call you back?" Her curiosity was getting the best of her.

"Yes, that would be great. Uh, it's about Rebecca Stanley…she got hurt again yesterday and…um, did Roy ask you about talking to her?"

Joann had to think quickly to cover up the fact that she and Roy had not talked about the Stanley's. In fact, the older couple seemed to be the reason for the anger she was feeling right now, at least indirectly.

"He did mention Rebecca but, uh, you said she got hurt again, what happened?"

"I talked to Marco last night and Chet said that when he went to get his medical release for next shift that Cap was bringing her in with a large cut on her head and both hands burned." He hesitated when he heard her gasp.

"Oh my god, that's horrible," she said, bringing trembling fingers to cover her mouth. "Is, is she alright?"

"Johnny's changing her dressings daily and…when he mentioned something about her bruises, the ones from Saturday…," He paused thinking of a way to say what he wanted to say without sounding accusatory. "Anyway, it seems she's changed her mind about what happened."

"Mmm? What do you mean?"

"What she told Johnny was different than the story she told Marco and Roy when they took Cap home," he said in a strained voice.

"Oh no….um, I think I need to go visit her tomorrow…when he isn't there," she said running a hand through her hair.

"That'd be great, Joann. Thank you and just have Roy give me a call later, please."

"I will, thank you, Mike. Goodbye." She continued holding the phone for a moment after Mike hung up. Was her friend really being hurt by her husband? Slowly, she hung up the receiver and returned to put the toast and eggs on a plate for Roy. This had been her routine for years and she did it without even thinking about how angry she was at him right now. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took it out to the back deck to drink it in the cool morning air. She needed to clear her head and think about what to say to Rebecca Stanley tomorrow. Compared to the Stanley's situation, what she was going through was insignificant and yet, she couldn't let it go.

Joann knew she was being a little too sensitive. After all, her husband had been upset and worried about their friend. But in her heart of hearts, she was still deeply wounded. She was feeling unimportant and taken for granted by her husband, the feelings overwhelming her after he forgot their anniversary. Everything she did was for her family - Roy and the kids. Never did she ever do anything for herself. Roy's job didn't pay him nearly what he was worth. That wasn't his fault and she certainly didn't hold it against him. She was proud of him but the pay didn't leave much extra money for frivolous spending such as manicures and pedicures. She couldn't spend a lot of money on shoes and handbags like some women she knew. She shook her head reaching for her coffee cup. Joann was not an extravagant spender and she wouldn't be even if money were not an issue. It just wasn't who she was. She sipped her coffee as she contemplated that thought for a few moments. Who was Joann DeSoto? Was that the problem? Her entire identity was as Mrs. Roy DeSoto, mother of Chris and Jennifer DeSoto. It wasn't that she didn't love her family, she loved them very much but…

A slamming car door pulled her back from her musings. He was leaving her to go visit with Johnny. Yesterday, the Stanley's were more important than her and today Roy's paramedic partner was more important. They were going to discuss her, no doubt…and the Stanley's. "Shoot," she spouted. She had not told him about Mike's phone call and now he was gone. Mike would see him tomorrow at the station anyway, she decided. "I'm not Roy's personal secretary," she mumbled sarcastically then turned up the cup and finished her morning liquid wake-up call, her ire returning with a vengeance.

E!

Johnny heard the banging on his front door and forced one eye open to glance at the clock. "What the…"

Roy knocked harder the second time and finally heard movement inside the small apartment. When the door cracked open, the face that greeted him belonged to a man who only moments before had obviously been deeply asleep. "Roy?" He questioned, squinting his eyes into the morning light. "Somethin' wrong?"

Roy shifted nervously from one foot to the other. "Yea…kind of…can I come in? I brought some bear claws?" He held up the beige pastry bag as if using it as bait.

"Oh, yea, sure," Johnny said closing the door and unlatching the chain then opening it up to admit his partner. "C'mon in…I'll get some coffee started."

"Thanks."

Johnny stumbled across his living room as he made his way to his kitchen. He really wasn't fully awake yet. "So, what'd ya do to make Joann kick you outta the house so early?" he asked pulling the Folgers can from the shelf.

Roy hesitated before answering. He knew Johnny had no idea that he had just hit a raw nerve. He watched as Johnny dumped a scoop of the dark aromatic grounds into the basket of the coffee pot and turned on the stove. When he was returning to the living room, Roy decided to just blurt it out. "I forgot our anniversary."

Johnny allowed a half grin to show beneath his sleepy eyes. "Well then you better get back home don'tcha think?" He snickered plopping down on the couch and propping his bare feet on his coffee table.

"Too late," Roy spoke solemnly. "It was yesterday."

"Shit!" Johnny nearly shouted. "Why didn't you tell me? I knew I was interrupting something last night when I called. Oh, man, Roy…I'm really sorry. I'd never interrupt you when you're…"

Roy held up his hand to halt the Johnny rant before he got too far. "Johnny, I said I forgot it. All you interrupted was me lying on the couch trying to sleep for the night while she sulked in our bedroom."

Johnny let out a long slow whistle. "Oooh, sorry man. That's…that's tough."

"Yea, well…I didn't come over here to talk about my problems." Roy looked over at his partner who was running his fingers through his shaggy hair.

"Cap?" Johnny asked knowingly.

Roy nodded. They were going back on shift tomorrow and he knew they had to do something.

E!

Chet kept checking his watch, not wanting to knock on her door too early and yet anxious to see her again. He had already gone out and bought a pink box for them to share knowing how excited Corrie would be after her nightmare the previous night. Finally, at ten o'clock, he headed down the stairs to the ground floor.

Caroline heard a familiar rapping on her front door. "I think I recognize that knock. Guess who might be here, Corrie?" She asked looking down at her daughter playing in front of their small television set.

A big grin spread across the child's cherub-like face. "Mizzer Fet?"

Caroline's heart warmed inside her chest hoping that her daughter was right. She peeked through the peep hole and saw curly dark hair and giggled. She opened the door and was greeted warmly by Chet holding a pink box. "Good morning. Come in."

Chet stepped inside just as a bolt of three year old energy attached herself to his leg. "Weeelll, good morning, ladybug. Look what I brought." He held up the pink box to show her.

"What is it?" She asked bouncing in place.

"Well, see I had a long talk with Flipper last night and he felt really sad about eating your donut so he sent me to the donut store to buy us all some more. Wasn't that nice of him?"

"Yeah!" she clapped her pudgy hands together excitedly.

"See Corrie, he's a nice dolphin isn't he?" Caroline asked giving Chet a wink.

"And I know a fireman who's a nice guy too," Chet said flirtatiously winking back at her.

"Oh? And who might that be?" Caroline asked feigning innocence, accepting the box and heading into the kitchen leaving Chet and Corrie in the living room.

"Ladybug…what are we going to do with your mother, huh?" He asked rhetorically as he reached down and swept the grinning child into his arms and followed Caroline into the kitchen.

After Corrie finished her donut and milk – and got a thorough hand and face washing from her mother - she returned to her television program while Chet and Caroline drank coffee and finished their pastries. Caroline giggled at the way Chet licked his fingers which brought a blush of embarrassment to the Irishman's face.

"Uh, sorry."

"For what?" She asked, then stuck an index finger in her mouth, laughing as soon as the sticky residue had been licked clean. "So, how'd it go last night?"

"Oh, I had a great time. The company was fantastic and the food was terrific and…," he paused to glance up at her with a sly knowing grin. "But that's not what you mean is it?"

She shook her head then curled her loose hair behind her ear. "It's ok though. You don't have to tell me. It's none of my business really. I just thought it might help to talk about it."

Chet saw the immediate remorse shadowing her face and wondered why she had gotten so serious all of a sudden. "No, no…I'm just acting stupid. Um, I'd like to share it with you if you have time and…and it isn't a very pleasant story." He watched for her reaction.

She reached out, using her thumb to wipe a spot of chocolate from his chin. "You aren't being stupid. Don't ever say that about yourself. And I have all the time in the world for you," she said softly, her eyes melting.

"Ahem," Chet cleared his throat; her touch had sent sensations through his body making it respond in a way that left him longing for more. "Well, it seems to be true." He looked up from the table where he had been staring and into her caring eyes. "What she told Marco and Roy was completely different than what she told the staff at Rampart."

"I'm sorry, Chet. I really am."

"How could he do it? How could any man hurt the woman he loves, mother of his children?" He reached for her hand needing to feel connected with her. "I don't understand it, Caroline. I guess I never will," he said, his voice seeming to fade as he squeezed her hand.

"Well, I hope you never do understand it. I don't want you to ever think like those guys." She softly caressed his rough dry hand.

"But, Cap…he…he isn't like that." He stared into the distance over her shoulder, his vision blurring as his mind strolled through the years he had spent under the command of Hank Stanley. "I've always had so much respect for him and now," he shook his head wistfully. "Now I just don't know."

"Exactly." She spoke up softly touching the side of his face, turning it slightly so she could look into his gorgeous blue eyes.

"Huh?"

"You don't know. You haven't talked to either of them directly and truthfully…the Stanley's are the only ones who know what's going on." She dared to rub her thumb slowly along his lower lip. Feelings and desires she'd managed to tamp down for years were beginning to resurface startling her a little. She pulled her hand away from his face, ashamed of such intimate contact at this time. She cleared her throat, quickly looking away and collecting her thoughts before continuing on. "Don't judge them just yet. That's all I'm saying."

E!

The following morning, a very sleep-deprived Hank Stanley helped his wife get dressed then began packing his duffle bag. He stuck his hand into the inside pocket ensuring that both bottles were still there then added the extra underwear and socks he would need. He was almost out of his prescription pills and he knew there was no way Dr. Brackett was going to refill it since he hadn't made the appointment with the psychologist. Maybe he should talk to Dr. Harrison. He seemed nice enough. He decided that if he had the chance, he might talk with the young physician before returning home tomorrow morning.

"Becca, are you sure you'll be alright here until the girls get home from school?"

"Yes, I'll be fine, Hank. Please don't worry about me. You've got enough to worry about," she added as she touched a bandaged hand to the bedroom door gently pushing it open.

Hank felt his nostrils flaring. He fought to control himself but her remark caught him off guard. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She hesitated in the hallway closing her eyes and shaking her head. She turned around knowing that the girls were eating breakfast in the kitchen and not wanting them to see him get angry. "I just mean that when you're on shift, you have your men and yourself to worry about and you need to be able to focus on them so…"

"So I don't kill one of them?" He snarled.

"Hank don't," she groaned leaning her head against the wall. "Not again…not now, please?"

He shouldered his duffle bag and walked briskly past her and out the front door. By the time he had backed his car out of the driveway, he realized that he had walked out on his family without any final words of goodbye; something he had sworn a little over a month ago that he'd never do again. He ran a hand through his thick dark hair swearing under his breath. How much longer could he go on like this?

He pulled into the parking lot and quickly made his way inside the apparatus bay. Both the squad and the engine were gone so he entered the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee. While it was brewing, he walked to the locker room and stowed away his duffle bag. He turned to leave then reached back inside the locker. Digging around the inner pocket, he removed both bottles and tapped out a dose of each then forcefully shoved them back inside the bag and tossed the bag to the back of his locker. He pocketed the pills then walked out just as his engineer arrived.

Mike had spent the previous day taking care of long neglected chores around his house. His mind had been on his captain and his wife since the night before when Marco had called him letting him know what Chet had seen and heard at Rampart. He had left a message for Roy to call him but when the paramedic never returned his call, he decided to do something more productive than sit and brood. He had trimmed his hedges, raked his leaves and repaired the stuck window in his bedroom. He figured Roy had probably called while he was outside and he hadn't heard the phone ring. After all, it wasn't like Roy not to return a phone call, especially after he had told Joann just how important it was. But, working outside in the fresh air - as fresh as Los Angeles County air can be anyway - he had devised his own plan for what to do and now as he stood beside his pick-up truck, staring at the empty bay and realizing no one else from 'A' shift had arrived except Hank, he knew this was his opportunity.

As he walked forward with his duffle bag in his hand, he saw his captain exiting the locker room. "Morning, Cap."

"Morning," was all Hank could muster at the moment. His head was pounding from lack of sleep and he needed coffee…and a glass of water since he hated dry swallowing powdery tablets.

Worried blue eyes followed the older man as he briskly walked, a bit unsteadily in Mike's opinion, across the empty bay and into the kitchen. Mike leaned into the latrine door mumbling to himself. "Two minutes, Cap. Give me two minutes then you and I are going to have a serious conversation."

E!

A/N: Thank you all for continuing to read this story/series. I appreciate the encouragement and corrections you share in your reviews, kudos and PM's. Your words definitely make me a better writer. As we head toward the resolution of this particular story, I want to go ahead and present this warning for the next chapter. There will be some very strong language in the next segment but I believe (even though it may be uncharacteristic for our favorite firefighters), it is realistic for the situation and location. Once again, thank you all.