I love the way great minds work alike. I was busy working on this chpater when your reviews started asking about the other attacker, lol. I was expecting all kinds of different thoughts on where it should go next but the most prevalant question was about Kava. That helps me though, because then I know I'm on the right track with the writing. Thanks to all who responded. I hope you continue to enjoy the direction this is taking. Its funny sometimes how a story can just start to write itself once you get the baseline established.

Two days later, Jim was released from the hospital. It should have been good news but he was angry. It meant leaving Catherine there alone. He knew she would have nightmares and he wouldn't be there to help. He groused and growled all morning, much to Catherine's amusement.

Nick offered to drive him home and he accepted. Once inside his house, he let out a deep breath. Looking around, he suddenly realized how empty his house seemed, how lonely his life was. Resigned to the situation, he headed to his bedroom, where he settled on his bed for a nap, exhausted. The aide that had been ordered by his doctor decided to show up about an hour later, waking him from his sleep with incessant ringing of his doorbell. Grumbling he let her in, showed her the guest room and the kitchen and then trudged back to bed. The woman seemed nice enough but she wasn't the companion he wanted. Sleep seemed the only escape from the emptiness he was feeling.

Late that night, his phone rang. It was Nurse Hannah. He could hear Catherine in the background, crying. "Mr. Brass, could you talk to her. I can't get her to calm down. She had another nightmare, you see…"

"Yeah…give the phone to her…"

"Jim?"

"Yeah…you okay?"

"I…miss you. I'm glad you got out but…I miss you."

"Yeah…" They talked for a few minutes with Jim reassuring her that she was safe, that it indeed had been a nightmare. As they hung up, he vowed to be awake every night so that she could call if another nightmare came.

The next day Nick stopped by. "We got him," Nick said as soon as he was through Jim's door.

"Stan Kava? He's in custody?" Jim asked as relief swept over him.

"Yeah. Vartann busted him last night. They found him in another fleabag on the edge of town. You must have gotten some pretty good hits in on him because he's all black and blue," the CSI said as he grinned. "The lab is running his DNA now, but it's him. Should be able to match his sample with the semen we found in the house and…on Catherine."

"You're sure it's him?"

"Yeah. But we need you to come down and make a positive ID. Ideally, we'd like Catherine to ID him too, but since she's still in the hospital…"

"Just as well…I don't think it would be the best thing for her. She…well, the nightmares are still pretty bad."

Nick looked at his friend closely. "You and she…how's that going?"

Jim shrugged. "She's still too…it's gonna take some time. Right now, I'm just her friend, someone who understands the hell she went through 'cause I was there. That's what she needs from me now, so that's what I am."

"But you told her how you feel?"

"Yeah," Jim said softly. "She knows. So when is this ID taking place," he added, changing the subject.

"I can give you a ride if you want. We can do it now."

"Yeah. Call the station and set it up. Just let me change first." Jim disappeared into his bedroom as Nick called Vartann.

The aide, Melissa, followed Jim to his room. "You alright?" she asked. "Need any help?"

"No, I'm good," Jim said as he struggled out of his stale shirt. Sleeves and arm casts didn't work together, he decided. Also, anything pullover was out. Melissa stood in the doorway and watched as he perused his closet looking for a reasonable choice in shirts. He felt her eyes on him and suddenly became aware of his state of undress above the belt. At least I still have my pants on…Grabbing a loose fitting Hawaiian shirt that he'd bought on impulse before a trip to Cancun a few years back, he grunted. The shirt wasn't his usual style, but he'd been carrying around a few extra pounds when he bought it so it should be loose enough to accommodate the cast and the extra size of his girth because of the bandages.

Melissa was next to him in an instant as he struggled with getting the damned cast through the sleeve. He grunted his thanks and told her he could take it from there once the buttons were fastened. Something in the way she looked at him made him uneasy. Last thing he wanted was her help with his pants. Jim chuckled to himself. Time was I'd have enjoyed her looks…But now there was only woman whose looks of interest appealed to him. He smiled as the warm feeling that he associated with thoughts of Catherine washed over him.

Jim waited in his office while Vartann got the line up ready to go. A few well wishers stopped in when they saw him through his glass walls but he really wasn't in the mood to chat. Finally, Nick came in. "It's all set. You ready?"

Jim shifted uncomfortable and nodded. He followed as Nick led the way. There was another man in the room that Jim recognized from Legal Aide. Must be the bastard's lawyer. Jim glared at him and then grunted an acknowledgement when the man greeted him.

"You know the drill, Jim," Tony began. "Just take your time and we'll get this son-of-a-bitch."

Jim nodded subtly and looked through the glass into the other room. "Let's get this over with," he barked.

Tony Vartann called into the other room and a uniform answered. Jim watched him through the window as he got his instructions. Then a door opened and several men were herded in. Jim had to give Tony credit; he wasn't making an ID easy. All of the men were very close in build and coloring. But his eyes fell on one immediately and anger began to boil in his gut. "That's the bastard," Jim growled. "Number 3. That's him."

Tony looked at Jim, surprised. "You sure? You don't want to look them all over before you choose?"

"Naw….that's him," Jim said confidently. He'd never forget the man's eyes, not only the shape but the expression. He'd seen perps that were angry or frightened or all whole host of other emotions. But he'd never seen anyone so totally devoid of emotion, except cruelty. No, that was the guy. The knot in Jim's stomach was telling him so, even if the bastard hadn't been wearing the same expression, Jim would have known.

"Okay then," Tony said, glancing smugly back at the lawyer. "We'll book him."

"What about the other victim?" the lawyer piped up. "When's she going to make an ID?"

Jim snarled at the man as Tony answered. "She's still in the hospital."

"Then, at least do a photo line up. My client deserves…"

"Your client deserves to rot in hell," Jim scowled.

"He deserves a fair…" Jim didn't hear the rest as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door on his way out.

"You okay?" Nick asked as he met Jim in the hallway.

Letting out a deep sigh, Jim relaxed. "Yeah."

Vartann, followed by the lawyer, walked out. "Okay," Tony was saying. "We'll take care of that this afternoon. "But your client is going to lock-up. And the D.A. has already said that he's filing every charge he can think of against Kava. He wants to send a message that you don't do this to cops and get away with it."

"But…" then the lawyer looked closer at the faces of the three men that surrounded him and decided to retreat. "Yeah…okay." He left without another word.

"So, you really gonna do the photos?" Jim asked Tony.

"Yeah," Tony answered apologetically.

Jim's face furrowed as anger began to boil again. "Don't you think she's been through enough?"

"We have to do it, Jim. The stronger we make the case, the longer the bastard stays locked up. You know that."

"Yeah, but this is gonna be rough on Catherine."

"Could you… I mean, maybe if you showed her…"

"Now Tony, you know Jim can't do that. He's a victim here. He can't have anything to do with the evidence."

Tony nodded sullenly. "Yeah. I just don't think it'll help Catherine any if I'm the one…"

"Why? Cause you deserted her when she needed you?" Jim was snarling again.

"Hey, look…like I told you before, we weren't really that close and now that she's…"

"You jackass," Nick said contemptuously. "Come on, Jim. I'll give you a ride."

Looking at Tony, Jim squinted. "When you doing the photos?"

"As soon as I can get a collection together. An hour or so."

"I want to be there."

Tony glanced from Jim to Nick and back, disconcerted. "Why?"

"'Cause she's going to need somebody when she does this and you ain't him," Jim answered derisively.

Tony nodded awkwardly. "Give me a few and I'll meet you there."

Nick tried to argue with Jim about going to the hospital. Frustrated, Jim barked at him, "Okay, don't worry about it. I'll just call a cab."

Nick studied Jim's stance and finally acquiesced. "I'll take you but then I'm taking you home. You shouldn't have been out this long. You are still on the mend, you know?"

Jim grumbled and Nick was glad that he couldn't understand what was said. Never the less, the ride to the hospital was uncomfortable with Nick feeling guilty for getting Jim out of the house in the first place and Jim still irritated with the idea of Catherine having to do the photo line up.

Catherine wasn't happy about the photo ID either. She looked at Jim nervously when he explained why they needed her to do it. Finally, she nodded her head in agreement, although her reluctance was palatable. Vartann arrived a few minutes later with Kava's attorney in tow. "Jim, I think you should wait out in the hall while we do this," Tony suggested nervously. He didn't like the expression on Jim's face.

Jim glanced at Tony and then the lawyer. His eyes narrowed as he seemed to be weighing his options. Much to Tony's relief, Jim grunted and then headed for the door. Determined to keep Catherine in his sight however, Jim stood expectantly just outside where he could see her.

Catherine swallowed with difficulty as Tony explained the situation and introduced Kava's attorney. Then quietly he asked if she was ready. Nick stood next to her bed, close in case she needed friendly support.

Tony handed her the photo card that included six pictures. Nick was impressed. Tony had done a good job of finding guys who looked very similar. Catherine blanched when she looked at the card. Before anyone could gage her reaction, she began to vomit, sending her breakfast across the floor. And then she began to scream.

Jim was at her side in an instant. Nurse Joyce ran into the room, wondering what was happening with her patient. By the time she got to the bed, Nick had handed Jim a washcloth to wipe Catherine's face, which he was doing as he spoke soothingly to her. Her sobbing was the only sound that anyone could hear in the room.

"I think you all should leave," Joyce snapped.

Tony looked guiltily at the lawyer. "Yeah. But first…Catherine which one?"

Catherine looked at Tony, her eyes overflowing. Barely able to catch her breath, she managed to choke out, "number 3." Tony nodded. "Thanks." Then he grabbed the attorney by his elbow and pushed him out of the room.

Nick stood back as Jim and Joyce tended to Catherine. Once she began to calm down, Joyce told Jim that they needed to leave and let her get Catherine cleaned up and the bed changed.

"But…" Jim began.

"No arguments," she said emphatically. "You should be home in bed anyway."

Nick thought Jim looked helpless as he looked from Joyce to Catherine. "But, I want to stay until she's…"

Catherine smiled weakly at him. "I'll be alright. She's right. You look like you're about to pass out, Jim. Go home. I'll be fine."

Had Nick not been witnessing it, he never would believe that Jim Brass was capable of such a soft expression, but as he looked at Catherine his features settled into a gentle, almost childlike appearance. It was clear to Nick that the man had it bad for his red headed supervisor.

"Come on, Jim. I'll take you home," Nick said quietly. "I'll bring you back tomorrow."

Jim let him lead him out of the room, looking back the whole way. The worry on Jim's face brought fresh tears to Catherine's eyes. "I'll call you later, okay?" she said.

Jim nodded, afraid that if he spoke he'd lose it. Then he walked with Nick into the hall.

"Man, you've got it bad, don't you?" Nick said as he drove Jim home.

Jim sighed. "Yeah, I do. And seeing how upsetting that was for her….I'd like to kill a couple of people."

"Yeah," Nick agreed. "Me too. What I don't get is Vartann. I mean, they dated for awhile. Seems like he would have been more considerate of her feelings..."

"Vartann's an ass," Jim growled. "He's always been a little on the insensitive side, but this was…bullshit…." Jim's face settled into a grimace.

"Well, at least it's over. We have two positive ID's and when the DNA evidence comes in, it'll be a slam dunk."

"Yeah. At least we got that…" Both men were quiet for the remainder of the ride.

So, did this meet with your approval? The little button is eagerly awaiting your attention.