Chapter 13

Leo P.O.V

We had a small party after the wedding with friends and family. Sarah invited some of her friends from college and I invited a few from the army. I had to start using my cane again because of my leg but also because I was saving my energy for something else to surprise Sarah. We went around greeting and talking to guest.

I looked over to my family to see them with their partners. I was guessing Mikey would be next but the way Raph has been with Erica I believe that something would push them to go next.

Sarah excused herself to change her wedding dress into her party one so I took my seat near Kaz and Chris. I was petting Kaz's head and talking with Chris, I signaled for Sarah's sister and husband to start getting ready with the surprise. Attached to the barn were lights streamed onto poles that surrounded a wooden dance floor for people to dance on. Tables were set up all around the floor leaving one side for the DJ booth and piano to be set up.

Sarah walked out in a plain white dress with thicker straps on her shoulders and the dress falling just below her knees. Her hair was now down tied into a loose braid on her back.

Sarah's sister took Sarah to the middle of the floor. Because it was getting late we turned the lights on to make it brighter to see.

"Sarah I have a surprise for you." I said.

I gave Chris Kaz's leash and stood up. Wobbling a bit in the beginning I gingerly walked over to Sarah without assistance or the use of anything but my own self and determination. Sarah started crying again, I cupped her face with my hands and wipe away her tears with my thumbs.

Sarah's sister and her husband started up again on our wedding song "What Are Words"

Sarah threw her arms around my neck and rested her head on shoulder, I placed my arms around her waist and move and swung together as the song was being sung to us. I closed my eyes and rested my cheek against the top of her head taking her left hand into my own we intertwined our fingers together into the lovers clasp holding it out a bit from our bodies.

As soon as the music ended people started clapping and cheering for us once again.

The party continued late into the night Sarah and I left a little early so we could drive to the airport for our honeymoon in Paris somewhere Sarah loves. Actually when we first met in the airport she was just coming home from a trip in Paris.

Raph and Erica were going to watch Kaz for us while we were gone for a week.

We waved goodbye to return home to get our bags and leave.

Raph P.O.V

We just got home from Leo and Sarah's wedding. I collapsed on the couch while Erica got Kaz ready for bed.

I look over at the array of pictures I have collected over the years. One picture particularly caught my eye that made me turn away. I still couldn't face him.

"Raph?" Erica said in almost a whisper.

I look over the couch to see Erica kneeling down after finishing feeding Kaz.

"Yeah babe?" I said.

"You alright?" Erica asked.

"Why shouldn't I my brother just got married today?" I said.

"Not that Raph and you know it." Erica said.

Erica was right, she was always right. Erica was really the only person who could see me for me even when I put up a front. Erica walked over to the couch and got on top of me. Placing her head on top of my chest I started stroking her hair.

I look at the picture I would try to miss with my eyes to get a really good look at it.

It was a picture of my partner Jacob and me after I first started working with him. Jacob was killed in the line of duty three months ago.

Three months ago

Leo had finally woken up from his coma and Sarah was by his side with Kaz. He was trying understand what was happening still but he was still too weak so he would sleep most of the time.

I was working with Jacob on some paperwork we needed to catch up on when Jacob got a call from his wife.

"Hello? Hey honey no I'm just finishing off some last minute paperwork then I'll be on my way home. Yes I'll pick up some cereal and bread on my way home. Okay I love you too sweetheart tell the kids hi for me."

Jacob hung up the phone and looked at me.

"What?"Jacob asked.

"Nothing" I said driving back into my paperwork.

Jacob tapped the top of the picture frame of Erica and me with his pen.

"You'll be just like me when you two get hitched." Jacob said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You heard me Raph. You and Erica will get married have kids then have talks like I just had with my wife." Jacob said.

"Yeah right I don't even know if Erica and I will get that far yet." I said.

"Do you are for the girl?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah I do." I said

"Do you love her and only her?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah" I said.

"Then move on from what you two have now to something bigger. It nice and fun to be with the one person that matters the most to you. Isn't you older brother getting married?"

"Yeah but he just woke up so I don't know what their doing." I said.

"Well at least he came home in one piece." Jacob said.

Jacob's phone started to ring again.

"Hello? Sweetheart what's wrong you just told me to get bread and cereal is there anything else I'm forgetting? Wait, what? What do you mean she's not home? All right I'll go see if I can find her in the mall or something." Jacob said.

"Your daughter again?" I asked.

"Yeah ever since she started high school she believes that she can do whatever she wants without consequences." Jacob said pushing the files into his drawer and throwing his jacket on.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow Raph." Jacob said.

"Okay see you later" I said.

As soon as Jacob left his phone started to ring again. I walked over to get it for him so I could leave him a message.

"Hello this is Detective Taylor's desk can I help you?"

"Wait hold on Mrs. Taylor you just call here a few seconds ago." I yelled.

"What are you talking about? Yes I called about the cereal and bread but our daughter got them on her way home so I was calling to tell him he didn't have to stop. Where's Jacob?"

I immediately got off the phone with Mrs. Taylor grabbing my gun and jacket I raced out of the station to the garage to stop Jacob. But as I was running to the garage the sound of gun firing and car squealing made me stop and duck for cover.

I took out my phone and called it in.

"This is Detective Hamato shots fired in the police garage request backup immediately."

I took out my gun and started walking up the slope to the garage. I peered over the corner of the garage and looked around. Backup shortly arrived and looked over the main floor before moving onto the next floor. I had to get my bullet proof vest on and ran to the one place I knew I had to be at.

I stop immediately once I saw something I wish I hadn't, blood.

I ran over and followed the trail to see Jacob collapsed against his car with his gun in one hand and his hand on his chest with blood pouring out of it.

"Call a bus!" I yelled.

Officers started calling for help. I took off my jacket and placed it against Jacob's wound. Jacob looked over at me. A small trickle of blood flowed out of the crack of his mouth.

"So-sorry man" Jacob coughed out.

"Don't talk! You'll be find Jacob." I said applying more pressure to the wound.

"Find him." Jacob whispered.

"Who Jacob? Do you know who did this to you?" I asked.

Two medics ran over to me to help with Jacob.

"He wants to take those you love for taking his." Jacob said.

Jacob started coughing violently.

"Jacob! Jacob come on you need to stay awake for me." I yelled.

"Tell my family that I lo-love them and that I'm sor-sorry for not being there for your big day." Jacob said.

"Stop joking Jacob you'll be telling your family that you love them later and you'll be there when I ask Erica to marry me and we when do. You'll be there Jacob I know you will." I said.

Tears started to form and fall off my face onto Jacob's.

"Do-don't worry I'll be the-there but in spirit." Jacob's breathing started slow. "Raph you remind me of my brother."

Jacob stopped breathing after that.

I held Jacob in my arms as the medics pronuced him dead. Every police officer and detective took a moment to mourn their fallen officer.

Still covered in his blood I walked out of the garage with a few officer me. I took a picture of Erica's attack from my desk took out Jacob's knife from his desk and walked over to the board where we hung important documents.

I stabbed the picture on the board and pointed at his face.

"This is him. He killed Detective Taylor. Leave no stone unturned no contacted untouched. Let's find this SOB. If you feel tired then think about Detective Taylor's family, his wife of fifteen years now a widow raising their three kids alone."

Officers and Detectives went to work finding Jacob's killer.

Our Captain sent me home to get cleaned up and to check on Erica since she's the center of the killer's rage. Erica was going be placed under protected with an officer and squad car watching her all the time.

Erica and I moved out of my old place and into a slightly bigger apartment closer to both of jobs. Walking in Erica was home getting start on dinner at first she didn't notice it was me until she looked up and got a quicker look at me. Immediately she threw down what she was doing and ran over to me when she saw all the blood.

I told Erica and went to shower throwing my shirt and jacket into the trash I changed and got into the shower. I placed my hand on the wall and let my head hang, the water in the tub changed red. I stared at it until the water turned back to clear.

Walking out and drying myself. I found a change of clothes waiting for me. Erica was sitting on the couch looking at me. My feet started walking on their own to her, I collapsed beside her laying my head on her lap. The moment Erica touched my head I lost it. I started crying and swearing at the world. Erica just sat there and stroked my head not saying a word.

I told Erica about what happened to Jacob and her being in danger.

"What should I do now Raph?" Erica asked.

"There will be a squad car and officer watching you until we catch the killer. I called the others, O'Neil Tech will be on high alert and they increased security there and at the hospital where Leo is. Sarah has Kaz and will be living with a friend of Leo's on the base here so she'll be okay when she's not at the hospital." I said.

"Raph are you okay?" Erica asked me.

I shook my head.

"Not only will I find Jacob's killer and give his family the peace they need. But first I need to go see the widow." I said.

"Do you need help?" Erica asked.

"No sweetheart I don't need to drag you in with me." I said.

I left the apartment and drove to Jacob's house in the suburb. Jacob and his wife moved their family their when the kids were little and even though he hated the commute as long as his kids and wife were happy then he was okay with a couple more miles a day. I had Jacob's wedding ring in my pocket. I made sure to clean the blood off it, when I was cleaning the ring I could see the inscription in it reading

"To Protect My Love"

Jacob was telling me one day that both he and his wife got their wedding rings inscribed inside with saying for each other. They laughed at each other when they saw what each other wrote. While his wife wrote "To Protect My Love" Jacob wrote "To Protect My Angel". It reminded me of what Leo did with Sarah's engagement ring.

I still remember what he told Chris as he was losing blood from his wounds.

You are my heart, you are my soul

I drove up to the house and as soon as I closed my door Mrs. Taylor opened the door. I started walking up to the door and told her the news. I handed her the ring and she collapsed on the spot. I held her up in my arms as she started sobbing and crying out her husband's name. The kids heard their mother crying and ran to her.

Mrs. Taylor broke the news of their father's death and soon they broke down sobbing. I didn't know what to do but stay there comforting them. I was in their shoes when I thought Leo was killed and then when we found him I thought we lost him when he got shot.

But he's alive while Jacob is not I don't know the pain of losing a husband but I do of a mother and father.

I returned to work later with officers and detectives running around getting more information about Jacob's killer on the board.

Two weeks later we got our first break in a long time.

The killer was spotted prowling the hospital where Leo was staying. So we laid our trap for him. The killer disguised himself as a flower delivery boy bringing flowers for Leo from a friend. Walking up to his room he opened the door with the flowers in one hand and a knife slowly being pulled out with his other hand. He placed the flowers in the trash and walked over to the curtains that were covering Leo's bed.

Quickly the killer pushed the curtains away but instead of being greeted by Leo who was sleeping in his bed he found me pointing me gun at his head.

"Give me an excuse." I said.

The killer tried to run away but he was blocked off by our Captain who was waiting in the bathroom and two other officers who were in disguise as a doctor and nurse outside.

The killer looked around and saw there was no escape until he looked out the window. We were on the tenth floor if he jumped he would be dead on impact. He ran for the window but the Captain and I were quicker grabbing him by the collar of his shirt we threw him onto the bed and while the Captain and I held him down the Captain gave me the honor of cuffing him and reading him his rights.

"You are under arrest for the murder of Detective Jacob Taylor and the attempted murder of Leonardo Hamato" I said pushing him out the door.

The killer was thrown into jail and I washed my hands of him. Erica and I went to Jacob's grave where I took out his cigarettes and started to smoke one in his honor. I coughed a bit. Jacob would get yelled at home if his wife caught him smoking and even though I didn't smoke I let him do it when we were on stake outs and when we hung out.

"Hey Jacob this one is for you. We got him and he's going away for life now. Never going to have to worry about him anymore. Erica's here with me and you were right just like always. Don't worry I'll watch out for our family so just rest in peace man. I'll protect them with my life so just do what you do." I said. I exhaled my puff of the cigarette and stubbed it on with my shoe. I walked over to a trash can and threw it away walking back I watched Erica stare at the grave. She started crying and as I pulled her into my arms she told me it too familiar.

Erica's twin brother Eric served with Leo when he first joined the army four years ago. He was killed when he first left the states in an IED and ambushed. Erica was left alone after that until I came to her years later.

"Don't worry you're not alone" I whispered.

Erica nodded her head on my chest and I held in my arms until she calmed down.

Present

I look at the clock on the wall it's been hours since we got home. Erica had fallen asleep on my chest and Kaz was sleeping below us. I nestled my head on top of Erica's and fell to sleep myself.