AN: First of all I would like to start by saying that I am so sorry that you all had to wait so long for another update. The short story is that there has been a lot going on in my personal life. It's still quite hectic and the problem is I don't have time to write and the last chapters of this part still have to be typed.

That said I would like to thank all of you who have send me PM's or reviews to ask me whether I was alright, or offered to help me out. It is much appreciated.

There will be updates, but maybe once a week now. In two weeks there is a holiday coming up and I have planned some time during that period to write.

Last but not least I would really like to thank Glistening Sun. She did the Beta work on this chapter and the following chapters as well. Thank you for your suggestions and taking a bit of the pressure on your shoulders.

This story is still rated M

Chapter thirty-four

Andy had to wait while the doctors were attending to Sharon. At first they had wheeled her off to make a scan. They wanted to know how bad that head injury of hers was. He didn't know where they had taken her after that. He only knew she was in good hands. He had asked around a bit. Mark Elliot already had been informed, surely he would be with her now, taking care of her. It was okay, she was safe.

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Diane quickened her pace when she saw her husband.

"Mark. Mark!"

"Sharon's going to be okay, sweetheart. Did one of the nurses call you? I haven't been able to leave her side yet."

"Andy called me. He found her, Mark. Where is he?"

"I don't know, it all happened so fast. It was hectic, I haven't seen him. I focused on Sharon and stayed with her."

"Where is she now?"

"In there."

"She's really going to be okay?"

Mark nodded, tears in his eyes. It could have been so much worse.

"He found her just in time."

"I want to see her, Mark."

"I know… I know…"

"What? She's okay right? You're not hiding anything from me?"

"No. Of course not. I just want you to be prepared, she went through a lot."

Mark guided her towards the door, pulling her close right before they entered.

"Sweetheart, she's been without food for quite some time. Water too, okay?"

Diane bit her lip, nodding. As long as she would be okay. She walked in slowly feeling Mark close behind her. Her eyes unable to leave Sharon's body lying in that bed while she took another step towards the bed. She swallowed when she could see her better. There were dark circles underneath Sharon's eyes. Her cheekbones more pronounced. She looked so pale, ash grey skin, veins erupted underneath her skin like tiny spiders. Every color drained from her cracked lips. Tears sprang to her eyes, her hand on the bed seeking balance.

Mark squeezed her hand. He knew there was no way he would have been able to prepare her for this. He was a doctor, but seeing your own child in this kind of condition was too much for anyone. He pulled his wife closer, rubbing her arms, waiting for Diane to gather herself, as he knew she would.

Diane closed her eyes, trying to get a grip on herself. Mark told her she would be okay, she should have faith in her husband. It would all be okay. She just had to tell herself that over and over until she believed it. Sharon looked so fragile in that bed.

Mark's voice was soft.

"They've put her through a scan. They noticed a fracture in her skull."

Diane's eyes shifted from the bandage on her daughter's forehead towards her husband, panicked. Mark shook his head reaching for her cheek to calm her.

"It's already started to heal, it must have happened not long after she disappeared. It'll be alright, she'll need rest and she'll get plenty of that. She'll be too weak to be out and about anyway. Right now the most important thing is that she is receiving enough fluids. Her kidneys need some time to recover. Her body needs time to get stronger again. The most important thing is that we all believe she will be okay. She had an angel watching over her, Diane."

Diane nodded, trying to have faith in her husband, in the doctors in the hospital, in her daughter's fighting spirit. She had made it this far, she would be okay. She pulled the chair closer to the bed, and sat down. It was hard for her to see Sharon this vulnerable. Not knowing what she could do. Carefully she took Sharon's hand in hers, looking painful at her bandaged wrists. Reminded of her daughter's suffering.

"She cut herself. There's rope burn on her wrists and ankles. She must have cut herself while she tried to get the ropes from her wrists."

"She was tied up..."

It wasn't as much as a question as a statement, saying it out loud because it all seemed so surreal.

"She'll be alright, Diane..."

She could only stare at Sharon, thinking about all the things she had to endure. She didn't know what would have happened if Andy hadn't found her. It was clear that Sharon wouldn't have been able to hang on much longer. Andy. He must be so worried right now. He had come in with Sharon, but where was he now? She turned towards Mark.

"You need to find Andy, bring him here. He'd want to be here…"

Diane could tell her husband wasn't necessarily agreeing with her. He did not like Andy Flynn, or any man who came close to Sharon. It probably also had something to do with the fact that he didn't want to leave Sharon now, either, but without Andy they wouldn't even have her here with them.

"He saved her life, mark. He genuinely cares for her. He cares for her a lot…"

She could see his struggle. Deep down inside of him he knew all that.

"Sharon would want him to be here too…..and I want her safe, Mark. God knows who did this to her. He could be still out there somewhere. Please go get him."

Mark was about to turn when Sharon became restless. He walked back to Sharon's bed.

"Darling? It's okay, you're safe..."

Mark touched her cheek while Diane stroke her hair.

"Ssssh, sweetie, momma and daddy are here … you're in the hospital."

"Andy?"

Her voice was very weak, but they had heard her. Diane looked at Mark.

"Go get him, now!"

There was an urgency to her voice he could not deny. He might not like Andy, but Sharon obviously did.

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Andy became nervous and started pacing the hallway. He didn't like not knowing where Sharon was, not knowing how she was doing. Yes, she was in the good hands of the doctors, but Landry was still out there somewhere. He turned as he saw Mark approaching him in the corner of his eye.

Mark saw the worry in Andy's eyes. It didn't matter much what he thought about the man. Sharon liked him. his name had been on her lips and he had saved her life. It was time he gave a chance.

"Is Sharon alright?"

"She will be."

The man's deep calm voice wasn't reassuring Andy much. He had to see for himself. He couldn't stop thinking about how awful she had looked in the trunk of that car. She had looked even worse in the bright sunlight. It had seemed like her skin was translucent.

"What about her head injury?"

"She has a relatively small fracture in her skull, but it's healing already."

"Well she couldn't move much in that trunk."

"Trunk?"

"I found her in the trunk of a car, inside a container, ready to be shipped off to God knows where. But I know one thing, we would have never found her then."

Mark swallowed realizing how close they had come to losing her, to never knowing what had happened to her. If Andy hadn't found her they would never have had closure.

"Thank God you found her."

"Yes, thank God."

"Would you like to be with her?"

"If I can?"

"Of course you can. Diane is there too. Thank you for calling her."

Andy shook his head.

"I know how scared you've been."

"Thank you for bringing our daughter back to us."

"I had promised I would. You sure it won't be too much for Sharon if I'll be there too?"

"No, she's asleep. It'll be fine."

Andy nodded. He wanted nothing more than to be with her. Make sure she was alright. Make her feel safe.

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Diane was rubbing Sharon's arm, trying to calm her, as she was very restless. Andy walked straight to the opposite side of her bed so he had access to her without being in Diane's space. When he looked at her he forgot everything around him. There was only Sharon. His hand didn't tremble anymore as he reached out for her. He gently stroked her hair.

"Sssh, it's okay. You're safe."

Diane looked from Sharon to Mark, surprised. She had tried to sooth Sharon, but as soon as she heard Andy's voice she actually did calm down. He only stared at her while his thumb kept stroking her forehead.

"She was very restless."

Mark rubbed Diane's shoulders.

"She was in the trunk of a car."

Diane's head snapped towards him, horrified.

"What?"

"The car was in a container ready to be shipped."

"Who would do such a thing? Why?"

Diane now looked at Andy for answers.

"How did you find her? Did you arrest someone? Did he talk?"

"No. I had my suspicions. I didn't have any proof though. I didn't know where to go look for her either. The other night I saw him slowing down at the docks. I found it odd, but didn't think anything of it at the moment. I remembered it today and I decided to check it out. It was nothing more than a hunch."

"Who did this?"

They were interrupted by Sharon's groan.

"Sssh…"

"Andy?"

"I'm here. You're okay. You're in the hospital. Your mom and dad are here, too. You'll be fine."

They saw her frown focusing on trying to open her eyelids. They all got a bit closer, as she opened her eyes. Tears filled Diane's eyes, she was so happy to see her awake and aware. Andy looked around so he could get her some water. Mark saw how Sharon's eyes immediately sought Andy, the the slight panic in them disappearing as she saw him beside her bed filling a cup with water. There were no words spoken between them while Andy turned back towards her, the cup in his left hand. His right supporting her head while he brought the cup to her lips.

"Easy… more than enough water here, okay?"

Andy kept looking at her while she drank careful to give her small sips while his thumb stroke her hair.

Mark and Diane stared. It looked so loving. Intimate in a way, as they seemed to communicate without words. The vulnerability their daughter was showing, his patience with her.

Andy looked down at Sharon.

"More?"

There was only a slight shake of her head. He guided her head back down onto the pillow before he turned to put away the cardboard cup. She still looked tired, but already a bit more aware, so he smiled at her, even more so when she returned his smile. He could swear there was a small twinkle in her eyes.

Diane stared, the smiles, the twinkle in their eyes, and now their fingers sought out each other, until they held hands. It was like they didn't even notice they weren't the only ones in the room. Until Mark stepped in. She knew he must have seen it too, this was the protective dad in him. He laid his hand on top of her head, claiming her attention.

"How are you feeling, darling?"

"Daddy…."

His eyes filled with tears, as he saw the vulnerability in hers.

"I'm sorry…"

Her eyes fell. She felt terrible for the anxiety she put them through.

"Darling, why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong."

Mark frowned concerned about the emotional state his daughter was in.

"I shouldn't have ticked him off, I shouldn't have aggravated him. I knew what he was capable of. I should have just let it go. I should have listened to you…"

She ran out of breath. The waterfall of words too much for her raspy voice as she coughed.

"Easy…"

Andy stroked her back while her father mainly looked on, concerned. She should have listened to Andy. He had told her the case was being taken away from them. That this was the moment to let go and simply accept you could not solve every case you worked on. She hadn't listened though. She had been stubborn and she wasn't the only one who had paid for it. She knew her parents must have been worried sick, Andy too. And what if he hadn't found her? Her parents probably would never have known what happened to her. They would have never had closure, always the uncertainty. The not knowing must have been devastating.

Andy could imagine what was going on inside her head.

"Honey, you were right not to let go. You just followed your instinct. That's what a cop does."

Did he just call her 'honey'? Mark stared at Andy and then at his daughter to see her reaction. She was upset, but for different reasons. As she looked back at him, he saw the guilt in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone to the Academy. I'm only hurting you both and…"

"No wait, stop right there."

Mark took her face in his hands and looked at her sternly.

"Your mom and I love you so very much … probably more than you will ever know. Most of all we want for you to be happy. No exception. That job makes you happy. You like your job, you like the law. That's why you didn't let go off whatever it was you were working on."

"What if I had died, you would have been…"

"But you didn't. You didn't die. You're right here with us. You're upset right now. That's only normal. We love you. Sharon? Do you hear me? We love you. You should not apologize. "

"Your daddy is right, sweetie. Of course we've been worried and we've been scared to death, but that wasn't your fault. Someone took you, hurt you, tried to k…"

Diane's voice broke. She tried to swallow down her tears, but she couldn't handle the thought of what that man did to Sharon, all the anxiety, it was too much.

Sharon was close to tears herself. Her hand sought her mother's to comfort her.

"Mom... I'm okay... I'm fine."

Diane smiled through her tears bringing Sharon's hand to her lips.

"My brave little girl."

Mark smiled down at her as well kissing the top of her head. She was an adult, but in their eyes she would always be their little girl. It seemed like only yesterday when she'd been between them squirming and giggling while they tickled her or covered her with kisses, her laughter spreading this joyous feeling in their hearts.

Andy smiled. Her parents loved her so much. He was very grateful had managed to bring her to safety. She was safe and sound. He had better call in, find out whether anything had come up in their investigation. He wanted Landry off the streets.

He turned to walk out, but Sharon grabbed his hand. He looked confused until he saw a flash of anxiety in her eyes.

"Just gonna call in. I'll be back in a couple of minutes. Okay?"

He gently squeezed her hand before releasing it.

Mark studied Sharon.

"You should try to sleep a bit."

"No."

"Darling it's important. You have a skull fracture, you're severely dehydrated. Your body needs time to recuperate. You need to rest."

"I want to hear what Andy found out. I'll sleep later. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that promise."

He raised his eyebrow giving her a look. It wouldn't be hard. She felt exhausted. The pounding headache was still present as well. She rested her head on the pillow. Her eyelids were starting to become heavy. Before she knew it they closed.

Diane looked worried. She knew she didn't want to sleep, still her eyelids were too heavy to keep them open. Mark shook his head telling her not to worry. Diane let out a deep breath leaning into Mark with her head. She could relate to Sharon's exhaustion. She had barely slept since Sharon had disappeared. The anxiety had been destructive as well. It all seemed to drain from her now she knew Sharon was safe and she was going to be okay.

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Andy slowed his pace trying to be as quiet as possible when he saw Sharon's eyes were closed.

"Is she sleeping?"

"Hm-mm, she's exhausted."

"She's really going to be okay, right?"

"Yes, with a lot of rest she will make a full recovery. I don't believe there will be any long term damage other than the scars that might be on her soul."

"She's been through a lot, but she's tough. She'll be fine in time."

Andy sighed. At least that's what he hoped. He didn't want to think about the nightmares that would haunt her in her sleep. At night when she was all alone. He almost wished she would have Raydor at night so she wouldn't be alone. He wondered how many nights there had already been when she had woken up startled, sweating, waking up Raydor in the progress. His eyes lingered on her body. The scar of her stab wound was out of sight hidden underneath those blankets. The scar that bullet left wasn't although it wasn't an angry red anymore, almost invisible to anyone else unless they were right on top of it. He would always know where it was - even from this distance. He would never forget where it was and he would never forget how it got there and why… because of him, because of his drinking. He had saved her life today, but he would be forever in her debt.

Sharon woke up. She had smelled Andy's aftershave.

"Did you call?"

"Hm-mm. They're glad to hear you're going to be okay. Cohen, Zygerski and Hamilton are on top of collecting the evidence."

"I don't believe he's been so stupid to leave anything behind."

"There has to be something."

"Even when they will find something, you will only get him on something minor. He'll probably say it was some prank, hazing?"

Andy didn't contradict her, as he knew she could be right about that. He would probably get away with it too. Who would believe her? This was one of their own she was accusing. It was his word against hers, when they wouldn't find any evidence.

Diane and Mark looked confused.

"A prank?"

"I don't understand. You almost died. He tried to kill you, how could they call this a prank?"

"That's what he will call it when they find something that ties him to the scene."

"But Sharon can…"

"It will be my word against his, daddy. "

"You're a police officer."

"So is he…"

Mark frowned, he did not understand.

"A cop did this to you?"

"He's a dirty cop, daddy."

"He's insane."

"He's too smart. We don't have proof of his dirty business dealings, and I doubt he left any evidence in that container. He knows procedures and he knows the law. I was coming close, he knew I was on his trail, that's why he wanted me to disappear."

"You saw him. You know he did this to you. That should be enough."

"I'm traumatized because of the ordeal I went through. I fractured my skull. Dehydration, hallucinations. Tons of excuses those fancy lawyers of his will come up with. Jack could come up with probably five different reasons in a couple of minutes. That's what lawyers do, daddy."

"That's outrageous."

Sharon smiled as her father was truly appalled.

"Maybe you understand now why being a lawyer suddenly wasn't so appealing to me anymore."

He could not understand how anyone could do something like that. Knowingly defending someone who was guilty. It suddenly began to dawn on him that there might be more reasons for Sharon to end her relationship with Jack. She arrested the criminals and he tried to get them back on the streets.

"You can't always defend the innocent when you're a lawyer, daddy."

"Is that something Jack said?"

She smiled, he knew her too well.

"This was attempted murder, not a prank!"

Mark began pacing, utterly frustrated.

"Daddy, for now there's no substantial evidence. He's well liked. I'm not."

"I don't care about who likes him or not, who his friends are or whether he can hire some fancy lawyer to make this sound like it was a prank that got out of hand. I want him caught."

Her father sounded very frustrated, angry. Her mom got up to calm him down, to stop him from pacing. She rubbed his arm soothing him. She probably didn't want him stressed out or for him to stress her out.

"Mark, calm down."

"He nearly killed her. Even if this was a prank I want him punished."

"We want him punished too. It might take some time though. He's got a good reputation. A lot of friends within the force, high up as well. People who'd either give him a pat on the shoulder or a slap on the wrist, simply because they don't like women on the force either. Some of them might even blame her for investigating on one of our own."

"That's ridiculous!"

"I don't say I agree. Neither does our Commander. There's a big chance the mayor and many other divisions will though."

Mark shook his head.

"Daddy, Andy is right. I'm sure they'll do everything they can."

"I want him caught!"

Sharon grimaced as the pounding in her head became worse. Mark noticed it and in a few steps he was at her bedside, looking concerned.

"I'm sorry, darling. I shouldn't be yelling. You need to get some sleep."

"I am a bit tired."

He stroked her hair, the worried look still on his face.

"Get some rest, you're safe."

"Hm."

Exhaustion overwhelmed her, her eyelids closing while she fell asleep.

Mark turned to Andy.

"There must be something we can do."

"Yeah. We need to be patient. That's the only way. Trust me. Don't you believe I'd like to get the guy and beat the truth out of him? I would, but that won't get him behind bars."

"I can only think about what would have happened if you hadn't found her today. We probably would have never found out what had happened to her."

"But that did not happen. I found her. She's here, she's safe. Not gonna leave her side until he's caught."

He wouldn't let Landry come anywhere near her. If they had to they would figure out the drug trafficking, or find evidence for those murders. They would search until they found something to lock him up. One day Landry would pay.