I apologize for my absence. I've been very sick.
After spending a week at the b & b, Carolyn was back at her desk at Major Case Squad. She had gone over every page of the murder of Mike Logan's family. Once she had finished crying, she had gotten to work. She quickly decided that the lead detective at the time hadn't done their job.
They took fingerprints, but hadn't run it through AFIS. When she discovered that, she immediately ran them. She got a hit. The suspect was a drug dealer name Antonio Chavez. Apparently Mike had stopped him for running a red light. The man put a hit out on Mike and his family.
After interviewing Chavez, he admitted to the killing. Carolyn shook her head sadly and said, "What did a pregnant woman ever do to you?"
Chavez simply shrugged and said, "Nothing."
"Then why kill her and her unborn son?"
He smiled and said, "To teach that no good pig a lesson. To teach him that no one gives me a ticket and gets away with it."
She shook her head and said, "You are going to spend the rest of your life in jail for murdering them."
"I'm already in for triple life. What's a few more years."
Carolyn shook her head sadly. This wasn't exactly a bright outcome. She'd been glad that she'd found the murderer, but she was sad that three lives had been wiped out for no reason.
Carolyn drove back to Maine early the next morning. She wanted to tell Mike the news in person. She arrived at the sheriff's office in the early afternoon. She smiled at Mike's secretary and asked, "Is Sheriff Logan in?"
Cindy smiled and said, "He's having lunch with Alex and Bobby. I can call him if you like."
She shook her head and told her, "I'll walk there."
She smiled as she walked the short distance to the diner. She saw Mike, Bobby and Alex sitting at the table talking. She walked over and asked, "Can I join you?"
Mike looked at her and smiled. It was a true smile. There was something about Carolyn Barek. He wanted to get to know her better. For the first time in a long time he felt as if he was ready to love again. He nodded and said, "Have a seat."
Carolyn smiled and said, "I caught him."
Alex and Bobby were forgotten as the two of them talked. Mike found himself at a loss for words. He asked, "Who?"
Carolyn swallowed and said, "The man that put out a hit on your family."
"Who was it?"
She looked at him and said softly, "He was a drug dealer. You gave him a ticket shortly before..."
Mike swallowed hard, "He..."
He found himself unable to talk. His family was wiped out because of a damn traffic ticket. Carolyn watched his eyes fill with tears. Then she said, "He's already in jail for triple life."
He shook his head and stood up. He whispered, "I..."
Then she watched as he walked outside. She looked at Bobby and Alex and said, "I shouldn't have told him..."
Alex shook her head, "It's not your fault."
Carolyn watched as Mike walked to his car and sat inside. She watched as he laid his head down on the steering wheel. She knew that he was crying, but she knew better than to interrupt.
Four years later...
Alex heard someone calling her name. It sounded like it was coming from extremely far away. She wanted to open her eyes, but found it impossible to do so. She heard Bobby whispering to her, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull herself from the darkness of sleep.
She remembered being rushed to the hospital. Remembered being wheeled into the delivery room. She remembered to feeling of incredible pain. The last thing she remembered before the darkness claimed her was her doctor telling Bobby that he needed to leave the room.
Everything after that was gone. She could feel Bobby rubbing her hand. Could hear him asking her to come back to him. Back to their family.
Then she heard another voice cut into the darkness. This was the voice of a woman and she was obviously talking to Bobby. She asked, "Any change?"
She knew that voice. It belonged to Carolyn Barek. Actually, her last name was Logan now. She and Mike had fallen in love. It had taken quite awhile, but she and Mike had fallen in love. They had been married for two years now. She was two months pregnant with their first child. A fact that no one knew about.
She heard Bobby whisper in a voice full of sadness, "No. None."
"Do you want me to sit with her while you get something to eat?"
Bobby whispered, "No."
"You need to eat something Bobby."
"I'll eat when she comes back to us."
Carolyn smiled and said, "I figured you'd say that. So, I brought you some food."
She pulled out a bag and handed it to Bobby. He looked inside and saw a burger and fries. He smiled and said, "You know that she would get upset at you for giving me this."
Carolyn smiled, "I know, but you need to eat and you aren't going to if you don't like it."
Bobby sighed, "I just want her to come back to us. The doctor's warned us that this might happen. Why didn't I insist on her getting rid of..."
Carolyn gasped and said, "Don't say it Bobby. You know that you don't mean it."
Bobby whispered, "I just feel lost without her."
Carolyn walked over to the bassinet and looked down at the twin girls laying there. They both weighed over six pounds. Large for twins. They were born close to term. However, Alex lost a lot of blood and her blood pressure had dropped to dangerously low levels. After three blood transfusions, and nearly a week, Alex was still in a coma and she showed no signs of coming out anytime soon.
The girls didn't have names yet. Bobby refused to name them until Alex was awake. She sighed and picked up one of the babies and carried her over to her mother. She laid her on Alex's chest and whispered, "Wake up Alex. Your daughter's need you."
She swallowed and said, "They are beautiful Alex. I think they look like Bobby, but he says that they are too beautiful to take after him. They..."
Her voice broke and she whispered, "Your family needs you Alex. Abigail and Aaron need you."
Then she smiled and said, "I've got a secret to tell you. I'm pregnant Alex." She took a deep breath and whispered, "No one knows. Not even Mike. I just got back from the doctor's today. I need you here with me. You've been through it before. I..."
Carolyn sighed and took the baby and put her back in the bassinet. She had hoped that holding her daughter would bring her back. She sat down beside the window and stared out into the snowy world.
It was Christmas Eve. A time for miracles. She hoped that they would get their Christmas miracle in the form of Alex waking up. She felt a hand on her shoulder and then a kiss on her cheek. She melted into her husband's chest and whispered, "I keep hoping that she will wake up. I need my best friend Mike."
It was true. She needed her help and her advice. She was responsible for her happiness. She had introduced her to her husband. She was the reason for her happiness.
Mike nodded and said, "You need to get some sleep. You look exhausted."
"I am."
She walked over and hugged Mike. Then she said, "Call us if she wakes up."
He nodded and said, "I will. Thanks for being here."
Carolyn and Mike nodded and left the hospital room for the night. Then the nurse came to get their daughter's and took them to the nursery for the night. Bobby laid his head on her bed and whispered, "Come back to us Alex. We all need you..."
He closed his eyes and felt his heart break again for his wife and their little family. He prayed that morning would bring an end to their nightmare...
