Inevitable pt. 26

John sat in a wide hallway on a hard, plastic chair. He massaged his stiff neck, feeling an ache that was slowly building throughout his tired body. Several hours have past since the shootout occured, but it was only now that he was beginning to unwind. He could feel the stress of the day slipping away, and his tight muscles were letting him know that he was going to pay for his arrogance. For going to that house alone, and for going inside alone. He yawned and rubbed his eyes in frustration. He hadn't been alone because he had stupidly taken Natalie with him! What the hell had he been thinking? What was Bo thinking? The creak of an old hinge caught his attention, and he stood, watching as a man in a white, lab coat approached.

"So?" he asked, anxiously.

Michael held up his hand. "So, he's going to be fine. He lost a lot of blood, but you saved his life with that tourniquet. The bullet nicked his artery and he would have bled to death within minutes." He saw the surprise on his brother's face, and put a steady, warm hand on his shoulder. "He's fine, John. You did good."

John sat down and Mike did the same. "And what about Timothy?"

"He's fine too. The nurse is finishing up with him, and then he's all yours." He looked at the intensity that was shining from the pair of blue eyes across from him. "What's going to happen to him?"

John frowned. "He's going to jail. I'm going to make sure that he goes to jail for a long time." He stared at the white wall of the hallway, and thought about everything that has happened to him over the past 24 hours. He thought about arguing with Bo over this case, and about taking Natalie along for the ride. He thought about making love to his wife in the hopes of forgetting about the intoxicating redhead. He thought about losing complete control on a hidden, dirt road. Natalie had driven him out of his head with want, and he orgasmed twice from the pleasure. He still wasn't entirely sure how that happened?

"John?"

"Hmm." He snapped to attention and looked at Mike with large eyes. "I'm sorry, what?"

Michael shook his head. "John man, I think you need to take a few minutes and step back from this? You should go home and see Caitlyn."

John stood. "I have to get back to the station. The only person I'll be spending time with in the near future is the son of a bitch who shot at me." He began to walk away, but didn't get very far.

"Stop! John, your wife works in this hospital! I guarantee you that she'll hear about what happened or she already knows? You need to be with her."

"I have a job to do, and that's what I need to be focussing on right now." He saw the look of complete disappointment he was receiving and sighed. "Look, can you give her a call for me? Let her know that I'm fine, and that I don't know when I'll be home?" He waited, very aware of how irrate his brother was with him at this moment.

"Alright."

He nodded in appreciation, before turning toward the room that was housing his prisoner. He needed to get this guy for murder, and he needed to get to the station. John blew out a breath as he walked. He fleetingly allowed himself to wonder if Natalie would be finished at the house. Would she be waiting for him? That was another thing he needed...to see her.

"Thanks, Mike."

Caitlyn slowly lowered the cordless receiver to the glass surface of the coffee table. She curled her bare feet underneath her and sat stiffly against the back of the sofa, trying not to fall apart. She was beyond any hurt at this point. Now she just wanted to do the hurting. He was almost killed tonight, but couldn't even be bothered to pick up a phone and call. He couldn't tear himself away from his precious job, and more likely, his precious whore. She jumped at the sudden sharp, rap that was coming from her door.

Blinking, she rose numbly from the piece of furniture and moved toward the sound. She wondered briefly if John had come to his senses? If he was realizing that he belonged to her and couldn't possibly be happy with the white trash that he hooked up with? No. It wasn't her wayward husband. Why would he knock? "Who is it?" she shouted, feeling a little nervous. This wasn't exactly the Four Seasons she was staying in afterall. Security was far from, well...secure.

"Open the door, peanut."

"Daddy?" She grinned widely and unlatched the deadbolt and chain. The door swung wide, and then she was safe in the strong, protective arms of her father. "What are you doing here?" She knew he was sending some guards, but he was a busy man.

"What kind of question is that? Where else would I be?" Harrison Fitzgerald squeezed his little girl a little tighter, and finally pulled back. "Maybe you could invite me in?" he suggested, lightly.

Cait laughed. "Sorry." She removed herself and watched him nod silently to the armed men in the hallway. He shut the door behind him, and slowly made his way into the livingroom - into her livingroom - and he was frowning.

Harrison knew that McBain had been the biggest mistake of his girl's life, but he certainly never knew how right he was until this exact moment. His eyes scanned the space with a cold, unforgiving stare. "You've been living here?" He circled the couch and moved farther into the room, stopping only when his eyes found the unmade queen-sized bed. Clenching his fist tightly, he faced his daughter, amused that she was so nervous. "Relax, Caitlyn. I don't bite."

She laughed again. "I'm sorry, dad. It's just..." she paused, choosing her words carefully. "I wasn't sure whether you would want to help me? We haven't exactly been close since I married John."

"No." He removed his long, grey angora jacket and gingerly placed it on the table. Then he sat on the sofa and waited for his daughter to relax enough to join him. Finally, she did. "No," he repeated, staring directly at her. "It's no secret that I've been against this farce of a marriage." Caitlyn winced but kept silent, allowing him to speak his mind. "John was never right for you. He was never good enough. Never."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she listened to her father's words. They were nothing new, he's been saying them from the start. It just hurt more than ever to hear them now, because she couldn't deny their truth. John was sleeping around on her, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before their marriage was really over for good. As angry as she was, she still had clarity of thought. She had understanding of John McBain. He was in love with Natalie Vega. I wonder if he knows that yet? she thought, and then refocussed on the man beside her. "I didn't listen to you," she managed to croak out.

He smiled softly. "You were in love. Believe it or not, I know what that feels like? Your mother is, and always will be, everything to me. You made a mistake, Caity." He reached out and wrapped his long fingers around her cold hand. "But you're a Fitzgerald..."

"I'm a McBain," she interupted.

He frowned again. "You're a Fitzgerald always, do you hear me?" He watched her nod, staring and hanging on his every word. "We never make the same mistake twice, and we don't let people walk over us, not ever!"

Caitlyn placed her free hand over her other one and squeezed tightly. "Daddy? You're not going to hurt him are you?"

This time Harrison laughed. "That would be pretty stupid, don't you think? He's a low-life, but he's also a cop. I'm not a stupid man, honey."

She was curious. "Well, what then?"

Harrison grew deadly serious, while he stared at the most precious thing in his life. "This woman he's sleeping with, tell me about her."

"Why? Why is she important? She's just a conniving whore who's breaking up my marriage as well as her own."

He stood slowly, feeling her tight hold on him slip away. He paced around the room. "There are all kinds of ways to hurt someone, Caitlyn." He stopped and met her eyes, expecting horror, but she was captivated. He continued. "I want you to tell me everything you can about John McBain and this woman of his. Together we're going to let them know that it's not okay to hurt a Fitzgerald. You think you can do it?"

Caitlyn stood. "Oh, I can do it." She was never more sure about anything in her life. "The whore's name is Natalie Vega, but her family name is Buchanan." She watched her father's eyes widen at the news.

"Buchanan?" He had to think this through carefully. Asa - the patriarch - was not someone to mess around with. "That complicates things."

"Daddy?" She moved closer. "Maybe we should just leave?"

He shook his head. "We can't leave until things are taken care of Caitlyn. We just have to be smart, that's all." He hugged her quickly, and looked down on her perfect face. "So? Tell me everything." She began to talk, and this time he was hanging on her every word. John McBain was going to pay for treating his daughter like some second class citizen.