A/N Welcome back! Thanks for returning! I hope you enjoy!

"Your autopsy results," Mac announced without preamble as she entered Jack's office uninvited. She surrendered the folder to his outstretched hand, noting uncharacteristic dark circles under the Inspector's eyes.

Instantly flipping open the summary, his brow wrinkled. "An overdose? And the cocaine was tainted?" His eyes shot up to meet Mac's. "Was it the same concentration as the Wiggins brothers?"

"Exactly the same composition. The dosage was not as high, but Suzanne was half the size of her brothers, she didn't need as high a concentration." Mac sat down in the guest chair, crossing her legs and leveling her gaze on the man across the desk. "You look like hell."

Jack was not surprised at the observation, but he was surprised that she so readily offered her opinion. "I've been putting in a lot of hours on this case," he deflected and turned his attention back to the report. "Lacerations on her gums? Bruising on her cheeks and lips… Self-inflicted bite marks on her tongue and inner-cheeks..."

Mac folded her hands on her lap and refocused on the case. "I don't think she was a regular user of cocaine. I requested her medical records from her primary physician," she pointed to a page that Jack had just extracted. "She was in excellent health, no indications that she partook of the family trade on any sort of regular basis. She suffered from several broken blood vessels in her nose which appear to have happened very close to death; there was no scar tissue indicative of previously broken vessels." She paused to see if he picked up on her message. "Someone forced her, Inspector… Someone ground the cocaine into her gums… probably cut off her ability to breathe through her mouth, necessitating her to breathe through her nose, thus inhaling whatever powder with which they coated her nostrils…." She sighed. "This poor young lady was murdered in cold blood. Her death would have been painful… The level of overdose would have resulted in seizures, probably lasting hours, during which she would have been biting herself as her muscles spasmed. Eventually, as you will see," she nodded to the report, "she suffered a stroke and ultimately a heart attack."

"Shite," Jack swore uncharacteristically. "We've got our work cut out on this one," he closed the folder and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It was bad enough trying to gather enough evidence to pin the Wiggins family for dealing drugs… Now we're charged to find whoever wants the whole Wiggins enterprise out of the picture, and it seems they'll stop at nothing to get rid of them." With a sudden thought, he grabbed and flipped through the report again. "There were no signs of sexual assault?"

"Not in this instance…" Mac pushed up to her feet. "Perhaps the murders of those other women on your docket aren't connected, and," she shrugged, weighing the risk of her suggestion, "maybe Phryne's kidnapping wasn't, either…"

"It was. They are," Jack responded gruffly, his instincts strong. "They are all related, and I will figure out how." He rolled his lips between his teeth and flipped through his pile of folders, dismissing her with his subsequent silence.

~MFMM~

"Fisher residence," Mr. Butler answered the telephone call. Since his employer had gone away, the house had been surprisingly quiet, he hoped that this call would bring news of her upcoming return.

"It's Dr. MacMillan," the tinny voice came through the line. "Is Dorothy home, Mr. Butler?"

"Yes, Doctor, she is just out back trying her hand at a bit of gardening in her spare time," he was taken aback by the very business-like greeting. "I'll fetch her for you, just a moment, please."

"Wait!" She stopped him before he set the receiver down. "I am afraid I'm calling with some upsetting news, Mr. Butler. She will most likely need some of your ever-present strength."

"Oh, dear, what's happened?"

"It's Hugh… There was a raid today, and let's just say that, while our esteemed Victoria Constabulary succeeded in their overall goal, their success was not without consequence."

Mr. Butler was instantly worried. "Is he alright?"

"He's been admitted to hospital with various injuries and will be here for at least a few days. I've been called to leave the morgue in favor of helping out in surgery. I'll be going in for my next procedure momentarily, but I didn't want Dot to hear it from a stranger, and I want to make sure she knows he will be alright. I've made arrangements with the nursing staff that, even though they are not yet married, Dorothy is to be admitted to see Hugh whenever she wants."

Mr. Butler heard someone in the background interrupting the Doctor with an emergency. "Doctor MacMillan, I will inform Dorothy of the incident and accompany her to the hospital. I'll see that she arrives safely."

"You truly are a jewel, Mr. B., I have to go, I've got a hemorrhaging patient waiting in the operation theater."

~MFMM~

Cec pulled the cab into a parking space as Bert was already opening his door to hand Dorothy from the back seat. Despite none of them being related to Hugh, they were, all four, determined to see the young man and find out the extent of his injuries. The men were willing to wait for as long as it took, for Dorothy's sake.

Flanked by Mr. Butler, Cec and Bert, Dorothy tightened her grip on her purse and walked quickly to the entrance of the medical building. Her expression remained strong in the face of the terrible news. She and Hugh had spoken often about the dangers of his job, so she knew it could happen at any time, though knowing imminent danger was always a possibility didn't make it any easier to accept it's inevitable occurrence.

~MFMM~

"Hugh!" Dorothy cried as she rushed to his side after being shown to his room.

"Dottie," Hugh smiled in relief, turning his attention from his mother to his betrothed. He reached one hand out from beneath his bedspread and took her hand when she neared, the concern was evident in her expression and he wanted to reassure her. "I'm alright, Dottie," he tried to soothe her through his sleepiness. "Dr. MacMillan said I'm going to heal just fine," he rubbed his thumb over her hand, hating to see her so scared. "I'm just going to need patience as a patient," he tried to crack a silly joke in an effort to bring a smile to the lips of his lovely Dottie.

"You must promise to do everything the doctors tell you to do, Hugh," she resorted to logic in the face of her fear. "I'll be sure to bring you healthy food everyday to help you grow strong. Mr. Butler was already planning out meals on the way here." She sat on the chair at his bedside, still holding his hand firmly.

"Mr. Butler is here?" He tried to look towards the door, but saw no one else.

"Yes, he is in the waiting room, with Bert and Cec, they drove me here so I wouldn't need to wait for the tram."

A quiet cough on the opposite side of the bed drew her attention to the other woman in the room. "Oh, Mrs. Collins," she shot to her feet. "I'm sorry," she should have noticed the older woman the moment she entered the room, but she didn't - her sole attention had been on Hugh.

To Hugh's delight, she didn't release his hand, and through his medicine-induced haze, his eyes studied Dot's profile, causing him to smile goofily. He knew his mother was still unhappy with his choice of fiancee, but in Hugh's opinion, he had proposed to, and gained the acceptance of, the most wonderful girl in the world.

"We should let Hugh get some sleep," his mother motioned towards the door, expecting the young woman to excuse herself from her son's side. "He needs rest to heal."

"Yes, he does," Dot agreed, but re-took her seat, her expression unwavering. "Dr. MacMillan already advised the nursing staff that I was permitted to remain."

Hugh's grin widened. "You're beautiful, Dottie. You're beautiful… and lovely... and kind... and…"

"Hugh!" His mother gasped. "You need to stop talking and rest. I'll escort Dorothy back to the waiting room."

"No," Dorothy insisted. "I'll wait a little longer."

"We need to let Hugh sleep. And if you remain, he will not rest."

Hugh's eyelids were growing heavy as he continued to stare at his sweetheart, but he responded to his mother's statement. "I'll rest better if Dottie is here, Mother." He smiled lovingly when Dot turned to look at him again. "I love you, Dorothy Williams," he muttered as his medicine started to work in earnest.

"I love you, too, Hugh," Dorothy responded without hesitation. "Sleep. I'll be right here when you wake," she promised, not allowing his mother's blatant disapproval affect her actions. Dorothy reached into her purse and extracted a magazine. "I brought the most recent edition of 'Motion Pictures Magazine,' Hugh. There is an excellent article about the making of western movies. I thought you might enjoy it if I read to you."

He smiled with his eyes closed and nodded in agreement. "Mm-hmm... Yes, please, that would be nice… Your voice is lovely, Dottie..."

~MFMM~

"Mr. Butler, really. As much as I appreciate it, you needn't worry yourself about me. If Miss Fisher returns and learns that you've been tending to me in any way, it could cause trouble for you. And I do not wish to be the cause of any difficulties for you."

Jack's voice was weak; his delivery was slow as it took considerable effort to speak in his inability to inhale a full breath.

"You let me worry about Miss Fisher, Inspector," Mr. Butler smiled kindly as he poured a cup of Jack's favorite blend of tea. "Dorothy was bringing a hamper to share with Hugh in the next room, so it wasn't any trouble to bring you a hearty meal. We've prepared soft-food options, and for you," he dropped his voice conspiratorially, "I've made a special crock of my mother's gratin." His grin broadened as he stared off into the distance, as if picturing his mother's expression of approval. "She would be so pleased to know someone enjoys it as much as I."

Jack tried to smile, but every muscle in his face hurt. His heart ached knowing he shouldn't accept the offering, but he realized his refusal was futile; Mr. Butler's cheesy potato dish of deliciousness was easily his favorite sort of comfort food.

"Mr. B., you are very generous. However I must insist… That food, as mouth-watering as I know it to be, was made with Miss Fisher's house money…" He inhaled slowly, keeping his breaths shallow. "If she learns that it's been shared with me, she will resent you and think you a traitor. She was crystal clear in the status of my welcome, or lack thereof as the case may be, at Wardlow; she's gone well out of her way these past several days to guarantee we wouldn't bump into each other..." He felt the loss of her friendship much deeper than any of the physical injuries impeding his mobility. "It pains me, because that is not how I wished any of this to turn out… I never meant to hurt her like that… I just want her to be safe. Seeing her tied up like that… Seeing what might have happened..." The medication had loosened Jack's tongue, allowing him to reveal a bit more of himself than he normally would. "She means so much…" He suddenly had a glimpse of clarity, realizing what he was saying and knowing he had to turn it around. "You are all very dear to me, which is why I cannot allow you to jeopardize your own standing in her employ.

"Well," Mr. Butler thought quickly. "Today is your lucky day, Inspector. The money for this meal," he held up the bowl and placed it on Jack's lap tray, "was not part of the household funds. I made this myself, the expenses are my own. And I wish to give it to you." He knew Jack would see through his lie, but he didn't care. "Tomorrow I plan to make a chicken pie, again from my own expenses, so be prepared to receive that as well. No arguments, as it is my get-well gift for you, my friend."

Jack had neither the energy nor the inclination to argue; Mr. Butler was not to be refused once he set his mind to something. Jack nodded and winced, regretting the movement immediately. "Well, then, my friend," he eyed the older man sideways and wished he could better express his gratitude. "In that case, I thank you."

Mr. Butler placed everything Jack would need within an easy arms-reach, knowing the officer's mobility had been hindered by his extensive injuries. As he arranged the items, he spoke calmly.

"Constable Collins said you took the brunt of the beatings… He insists that you saved his and Constable Harris' lives by arriving when you did…" He was careful not to look at Jack as he spoke. "Hugh insists the attack was intended for them, not you…"

Jack didn't like people thinking him a hero, he did what he had to do. Collins, Harris and Mills were all young, still somewhat green behind the ears even if they were physically strong and experienced boxers - they couldn't have fought their attackers in their bound conditions. When Jack rushed through the side entrance of the warehouse and saw the assailants beating his men with pipes, he was driven by pure instinct to protect his charges, and that's precisely what he did, but even then, he wasn't able to protect everyone.

"I didn't find the lads in time, though, for Mills..." He rejected the praise quietly. "I did what any officer would do… And I'd do it all over again if it would bring Mills back..."

Mr. Butler's remorseful gaze met Jack's and he spoke plainly. "It's impossible to save everyone, Inspector. I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth, and I suspect you already know it… If you'll forgive me for saying so," Mr. Butler finalized his food spread by placing a napkin over Jack's chest, which, he knew, was heavily bandaged beneath the layers of his pajama shirt, hospital sheet and blanket. "From my experience, not all officers, regardless if they are officers of the law or military ranks, take their oaths of office with the same gravitas, and very few would act as selflessly as you did. Your men are grateful, Inspector. Allow them that gratitude."

Jack wasn't sure what to say. He knew Mr. Butler had been in the military, though he didn't know the extent of his service. Witnessing the way he carried himself and his ability to handle the occasional unwelcome guest, however, and hearing the sober sincerity in his voice, he suspected the man saw plenty of action. Before he could formulate a response, his former partner's employee was making his excuse to leave.

"I'll return tomorrow to collect the dirty crockery, Inspector, and I'll expect you to have the appetite to enjoy a chicken pie." He tilted his head. "Maybe even two pies…"

~MFMM~

"Nonsense, Hugh," Dot busied herself smoothing his blanket and gathering the dishes from their shared lunch. "Miss Phryne sent a telegram that she is extending her stay out of town for at least another week. Although she did not provide her contact details to which I could respond, I have no doubts that she would insist on the same resolution." She plunked herself into the chair beside his hospital bed. "It's not like it's improper; Mr. Butler will be on hand day or night to help you, should you require, you know," she tipped her head, "masculine assistance." She folded her hands on her lap. "And this way, we can be sure you are getting three proper meals per day along with all your medicines, and the care you need to heal."

"Dottie, my mother won't have it."

"Hugh, you can't go home. You need looking-after, even Dr. MacMillan said you won't be up to staying on your own for a few more weeks. Your mother works long hours outside the home. Your sister can't very well care for you and her children, not with your nephews passing bronchitis between each other. This is not only the most logical, but the healthiest option as well."

Hugh wanted to argue against it, but his sweetheart presented valid arguments and a reasonable solution. "You are sure Miss Fisher wouldn't mind? And that Mr. Butler doesn't mind?"

"Of course I'm sure! Mr. Butler and I discussed the logistics last evening. We already made up the downstairs guest room, so you will be comfortable. All you need now is the discharge order from the physician."

Thanks again for reading. I'd love to hear from you. As I said on Chapter 1, I can't promise to reply right away, but I WILL try!

Stay healthy, be kind to one another.

peace and love, my friends,

~jazzy