AN: Apologies for the longer wait between updates...stress in RL and exhaustion has had a lot to do with it but it's also nice to be able to get away and do some writing and reading when I can. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Will respond to PMs and emails as time permits.

"Amanda England" - very nice to see you managed to sign up as a member :-) Will be able to send you messages privately now.

A gracious thank you goes out to my readers and reviewers.

Tanith

Chapter 36

Steve hastily signed all the required forms for his release and handed the clip board back to the receptionist. He met Tanner in the hallway and together they left the hospital. Having failed to reach Mike, Tanner had offered to pick him up instead and Steve gratefully accepted. After all, he had no desire to stay at General Hospital any longer than was necessary. He was also anxious to get his car back from the repair shop before they shut. Since it was unlikely Mike would have let him get behind the wheel so soon after his release, he decided it worked out for the better this way.

"How you doin'?" Tanner asked as they walked to his car. He kept a watchful eye on Steve in case the younger man needed a steadying hand. Although he wasn't all that agreeable to Steve's idea of driving home in his Porsche, it was likely the younger man was going to do what he wanted with or without his help.

With a hand pressed against his injured ribs, Steve decided to reiterate that his condition was not going to impede on his driving capability. "Good enough to drive. Listen, did you find out anything interesting about Holden?" Anxious to get some answers, the detective cut straight to the chase. He had called Bill earlier to do a back-ground check on Whitney. After their altercation, he had an uneasy feeling about the guy who was determined to marry Jeannie. According to Whitney, he'd seen Jeannie in Steve's arms, yet, apart from their hospital visit, Steve couldn't think of another occasion when he'd been in close proximity with Jeannie. Then it hit him. He did recall sharing a tender moment with Jeannie and though he believed it was an innocent one, he could see how a guy with a jealous streak in him would read it. After driving Jeannie home in her fancy dress on that fateful night when Whitney had cancelled their plans, Steve remembered holding Jeannie in his arms for a brief moment. It was that same night that Steve found himself a victim of a suspected home invasion. Since that evening, Whitney had been even more unfriendly toward him. Steve also recalled that Whitney had supposedly been assaulted the same night of his attack. The coincidence was suddenly all too convenient. He couldn't believe he didn't see it earlier!

Bill waited until they got in the car before he delivered the news. "Yeah and you're not gonna like it." Putting the key into the ignition, he gunned the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Well, come on, spill it!" Steve pressed.

"Okay, so after some deep digging and talking with the right people I did find something interesting. Turns out kid's sort of got a record, back in high school though," Tanner began as he drove out onto the main road.

"I knew it! What was it for?"

"Assault. He hit another kid and knocked his teeth out. The charges were dropped or rather downplayed to brawling and both kids got away with a warning. From what I heard, the unofficial story is the fight was definitely one-sided and Holden senior used his financial pull to make sure no formal charges were laid. The victim probably had all his medical bills paid for too."

"In other words, Whitney's father bribed his son out of trouble," Steve finished.

"Something like that, yes." Tanner was beginning to feel a touch of guilt for going behind Mike's back with the research that Steve had asked him to do. Whitney was, after all, going to be the Lieutenant's future son-in-law. "You do remember that we're talking about Jeannie's fiancé, right?"

"Yeah, I remember. It's the reason why I needed to find out just what a scumbag Jeannie is engaged to."

"Steve, the guy made a mistake. He was just a kid then. Do you really want to dig up an incident from high school? I mean, you do realize what this will do to your friendship with Jeannie? Come on, man, what's the real reason for the digging?" Bill prompted. He'd feel a lot better knowing the true reason behind Steve's search into Whitney's past.

Steve let out a sigh. He knew he owed it to Bill to give him the truth. "I needed something to back up a suspicion I have. Whitney has a violent streak in him and as a friend of Jeannie's, yeah, I'm concerned but you're right. That's not the only reason why I'm digging up his past. I'm pretty sure he's the bastard that broke into my garage and used me as a punching bag."

"You have something more to back this up?" Bill prodded. "Like a motive?"

Steve shifted uncomfortably in his seat and drew a deep breath. He kept his eye on the road and tried to keep his tone neutral as he explained his theory, "He thinks I've been eyeing Jeannie. Something he said to me at Mike's this morning just wouldn't leave me alone. The point is, he'd seen me take Jeannie home the night I was jumped. The next day, I find out that apparently, he was attacked too. The thing is, I got the impression that Jeannie somehow found out he was hurt and he had no choice but to make up some story to explain what happened," Steve recounted.

"Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me, this guy thinks you're hitting on his girl?"

"That's right and before you even ask, nothing happened between Jeannie and I," Steve said in a slightly defensive tone.

Bill stole a glance Steve's way and read his friend's unspoken message to drop that line of questioning. "Was he badly hurt?"

"Not enough to land him in a hospital but I got in a few hits to his body before he floored me."

"If your theory is right, you better give Mike a heads-up." Tanner pulled the LTD up against the curb of Joe's repairs.

"I tried to call him earlier but he's out of reach. Look, I'm not gonna do anything until I've had a chance to talk to him but Jeannie's most likely with Whitney right now and knowing what I know is making me real uneasy."

"You don't think he'll hurt her do you?"

"I don't know. He's certainly capable of it but whether he would hit a woman, well, that's a risk I'm not willing to take, especially where Mike's daughter is concerned."

"What're you gonna do? Bring him in?"

"Yeah, but if Jeannie's with him..."

"It could get ugly," Tanner finished.

"I know," Steve sighed.

"If you wanna bring him in, I have an address," Tanner supplied. "He'll either be there or at his father's but my sources told me he's well and truly settled at his newly acquired property so we'd have more luck there."

Steve was sorely tempted to take Tanner up on his offer but he knew it wasn't what Mike would've wanted him to do. In all honesty, he couldn't prove his theory one way or another and to go dragging Whitney into the station could result in damaging consequences to Mike and Jeannie's relationship as well as his friendship with the both of them. "No, I should talk to Mike first."

"Guess you're probably right," Tanner gave a nod of agreement. Then as his colleague exited the car, he reached inside the top pocket of his shirt and called out, "Hey, Steve! Here's the address to his new pad up in Pacific Heights, just in case. If you need anything..."

"I'll call you. Thanks, Bill," Steve said than swung the door shut and shoved the folder piece of paper into his jacket pocket.