Jean hurried through her housework in the morning so that she and the boys could spend the whole afternoon at the farm. All the while she worked, though, her concern for Lucien's safety played on her mind. She had a bad feeling about this case, particularly in regard to the ruthlessness of Jock Clement. He'd already made it clear that he was willing to destroy anyone who got in his way.

It had been decided that Violet would spend the day with Li, and Lucien would take both girls to the cinema while Jean and the boys went to the farm. She wondered now if he would be home in time. If not, would it make more sense to take the girls along with them to the farm or postpone the trip there to another day?

Before she could decide one way or the other, the telephone rang.

"Doctor Blake's residence."

"Jean..."

Lucien's voice sounded funny, but she was so relieved to hear him that it didn't really register. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I only have a moment before surgery," he began.

She panicked. "Surgery? Lucien!"

"Jean, Jean, I'm not a patient, I'm performing surgery," he quickly assured her. "It's Doug. He's been shot."

"How bad is it?" she asked, feeling guilty for her relief that it wasn't Lucien who was injured.

"It's bad. Jean, I think it would be best if you brought Violet here right away. Can you manage it?"

She thought quickly. Yes, Lucien was right. If the worst happened, Violet should be with her father. "We'll be there shortly," she promised. "Lucien, please, save him. That poor little girl."

"I'll do my best."

After hanging up, she gathered the children around her. "Christopher, I need you to take Jack and Li, and walk down to your Auntie Mary's house. Stay with her until we come to get you, understood?"

Christopher nodded. "What's wrong, Mum?"

"What about Violet?" asked Li, glancing at her friend.

Jean had a difficult time looking Violet in the eye, but the girl needed to know what was going on. "Violet, dear, I'm afraid your father's been hurt. We need to go the hospital right now."

The little girl's eyes filled with tears. "Is he going to die?" she asked in a tiny voice. Being a bright girl and the daughter of a policeman she had to know this could happen.

"Lucien, Doctor Blake, is doing his best. He was just taking your father into surgery. We should go now."

Christopher spoke up. "Violet, I'm very sorry about your father. I hope he's all right. Come on, Li and Jack, let's go so Mum and Violet can get to the hospital."

Li hesitated, then walked over to hug Violet and then Jean before following Christopher to the door. Jack said, "Sorry, Violet" and then went with the others.

Jean put an arm around Violet's shoulders and together they hurried toward town and the hospital. As they reached the front door, Matthew Lawson met them.

"Hello, Matthew," Jean greeted him. "This is Violet Ashby."

"I know Miss Ashby," said Matthew, tipping his cap to both of them.

"How's he doing?" Jean asked.

"Still in surgery," Matthew reported. "Why don't you come in and sit. The sister said she'd bring word in as soon as there's any news."

Violet slipped her hand into Jean's, and together they went to sit where Matthew indicated.

"Do you need anything?" he asked them. "Tea? Water? Something to eat?"

Jean looked to Violet, who shook her head. "No, thank you. We'll just wait for news. But if you need to be somewhere else..."

"I need to get a statement from Blake when he finishes up," Matthew explained.

Jean paused. She had no idea what had even happened, other than that Doug had been shot. "Did Jock Clement do this?" she asked.

"He did. We have him in custody, and with Lucien's statement, he's sure to be put away."

Matthew didn't say as much, but Jean knew that if he was convicted, Mister Clement would likely be hanged. "And he was responsible for Neville Franklin? And Mrs. Blake?"

"It seems so."

Jean sighed and put her arm around Violet once more. She would need to provide some comfort and solace to Lucien later, she knew, once the crisis with Doug was over.

The three of them sat that way for some time until finally the sister approached them. "Senior Sergeant, Mrs. Beazley, Violet, the surgery just finished. The chief superintendent is being moved to a room now. Doctor Blake will be out shortly to speak with you."

"Thank you, Sister," said Jean. She squeezed Violet's shoulder. "That's very good news, isn't it? Your father came through the surgery."

Violet, who had been so brave and stoic thus far, broke into tears of relief, Jean quickly gathered the sweet girl into her arms, and held her while she sobbed.

"It's all right. Let it out," Jean soothed her, while Matthew shifted uncomfortably, at a complete loss as to how to help, other than to hand them his handkerchief.

Violet was wiping away the remains of her tears when Lucien came out, still in his surgical scrubs. Immediately he went to Violet and crouched down to take her hands. "He's going to be fine, your father. He came through the operation like the champion he is," he assured her.

"Can I see him now?" asked Violet.

"In about an hour. He's still sleeping right now, and that's very good for him, just what he needs." He looked up at Jean. "Maybe the two of you could get a cup of tea and a sandwich, and by the time you finish, he should be awake."

"That sounds like a good idea, doesn't it, Violet?" said Jean.

"All right, Mrs. Beazley. Thank you, Doctor Blake."

"You're very welcome. And just so you don't worry about it, I spoke with your father just before the surgery and he agreed you should stay with us while he's in hospital, if that's agreeable with you, Violet."

Tears threatened again as she looked up at Lucien. Obviously it had been weighing heavily on her mind, what would happen to her.

"Of course she'll stay with us," Jean said firmly. "If it's all right with you, Lucien, we'll take the car when we leave here so we can stop by Violet's home to pick up what she'll need for a few days' stay."

"An excellent idea," said Lucien. "Now if you ladies will excuse me I'll get dressed properly and look in on my patient."

"I'm going to need a witness statement from you, when you have a minute," Matthew reminded him.

"As soon as I've changed," Lucien promised.


They met up in Doug's room so that Lucien could keep an eye on his patient until he regained consciousness.

Lucien glanced up at the clock while Matthew opened up his pad in preparation for taking the statement. Not quite two o'clock. It felt much later, as though the day should nearly be over.

"You ready?" asked Matthew.

He nodded, closed his eyes for just a moment to picture every detail of Franklin's home, then began to relate everything that happened. When he'd reached the part where Doug and Matthew had entered, Matthew stopped him. "So he never outright confessed to killing either Franklin or your mother?"

"If you're asking did he say yes, I killed them, then no, he didn't. But when I accused him of killing them, rather than deny it, he gave the reasons why it was done," said Lucien. "Plus he admitted he was planning to kill me, and he shot Doug. That should be plenty."

"Oh, we'll nail him, one way or the other," Matthew assured him. "It would just be neater if he'd actually confessed to any of it."

"Well, you can also throw in his threats against my father. I'm sure Dad will gladly testify now that Clement's no longer a danger to any of us." He paused. "Have you considered pressing Constable West to provide testimony against Clement? Maybe if I could sit in when you question him, I could help with that."

Matthew shook his head emphatically. "You're not going anywhere near the station while Clement is there," he barked.

"And why not?"

"The man killed your mother, blackmailed your father and was perfectly willing to kill you. That's why you won't be going anywhere near him."

"Certainly not," murmured Doug, slowly opening his eyes. "Too impulsive, Lucien."

"I beg your pardon," said Lucien.

"You heard me," said Doug. "And by the way, thank you for saving my life."

"How are you feeling?" Lucien asked him, moving closer to take his pulse.

"Like a very old man - weak and tired," said Doug. "Violet?"

"Violet is just fine. Jean is with her. They'll be here shortly. And when she's finished here, Jean will take her home to stay with us until you're released from hospital."

"You're a good man, Lucien. Thank you."

"Li will be happy to have her there, and Christopher, well, Christopher has a bit of crush on Violet, so he'll be delighted that she's staying with us."

Doug raised an eyebrow at that. "Violet is much too young for a boyfriend."

"And Christopher is much too young for a girlfriend," said Lucien. "It's completely harmless, I promise."

"I wonder if you'll feel the same when it's your daughter involved," Doug growled.

"Probably not," Lucien admitted with a laugh.

At that very moment there was a light tapping on the door. Jean and Violet had returned.

"I'd better get back to the station, interview West," said Matthew. "Glad you're going to be all right, boss."

"And we'll leave you and Violet to talk," said Lucien. "Not too long. You need your rest."

"I'll make sure he does, Doctor Blake," Violet promised.

"I'll count on you, then," said Lucien before he escorted Jean out into the hall. Immediately she pulled him into the empty room next door and pushed the door closed.

"I thought I'd lost you," she told him, tears in her eyes, just before she clasped her hands behind his neck and pulled him down to kiss him.

He gave himself over to it, enjoying the taste of her and the depth of her love for him. He let her be the one to end it, then he rubbed his hands over her arms in comfort.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "Matthew and Doug were there the whole time."

"Yes, and look what happened to Doug," she pointed out. "If you'd been the one shot, could they have kept you alive until they could get you to hospital?"

She had a point, he knew. It had been a near thing with Doug. If Lucien hadn't been on hand would he have made it?

"Thank God you were there," Jean continued. "That poor girl couldn't bear to lose her father, too, just as our children couldn't bear to lose you, Lucien. You need to be more careful."

"Yes, I know," he sighed, and he really did. The three children, and Jean too, had had more than enough loss already in their lives. Jean was right, he needed to take care of himself for all their sakes.

She gave him another quick kiss before leading the way back to the corridor outside Doug's room.

"You'll be here for a while?" she asked.

"I'm afraid so," he told her. "I want to be sure he's stable, with no reaction from the anesthesia."

"I'll keep a plate warm, in case you don't make it home for dinner."

"Thank you, Jean. I'm sorry about your trip to the farm."

She gave him a gentle smile. "Couldn't be helped. We can try again next weekend. Shall I break the news to Jack about the football tomorrow?"

"No need. We'll still go," he insisted. "As long as Doug is out of the woods, medically speaking."

"Are you sure? You'll be exhausted. Jack will understand."

"He shouldn't have to. I can always take a quick nap on the train if I need to. Really, Jean, it'll be fine."

"As long as you're sure it won't be too much."

"I'm looking forward to it," he assured her, and he was. He could just imagine Jack's excitement at the event. That alone would make the journey worthwhile.