Author's Note: The characters belong to Maureen Jennings.

Hello, friends. I hope you all are safe and well this holiday season. Apologies for not posting sooner, my beloved grandfather who I was extremely close to died suddenly a week ago and I had to drop everything and rush out of state along with my mother to prepare everything. I've had this written for a while now, but just haven't had a moment to post it. Tell your loved ones you love them, you never know when the next time will be the last time.

Please read, review and enjoy!

Pistachio the Murdog: An Unlikely Love Story – Chapter 15: Ball of Confusion

Julia dropped the phone and raced behind the nurse who came to inform her of her husband's condition. The two women watched, Julia in horror as William's doctor and a few nurses ran into his room to assist. Reaching the doorway to his room, Julia tried to enter as tears poured down her cheeks.

"Miss, you need to leave," a nurse said, her hands barring the way.

"That is my husband!"

"Mrs. Murdoch, I need you to-"

Julia was becoming furious. "My name is Dr. Julia Ogden. Please move out of my way! Dr. Best, please!"

"Let the doctor do his work, miss. We'll let you know as soon as he-"

"Close that door!" Dr. Best bellowed, placing a mouth guard in between the detective's teeth to keep him from biting his tongue. "Come on detective, fight through it!"

Pacing back and forth, Julia's heart was beating so fast and so much so that she began to feel faint. Why did she think she could leave him for even a second? She could have saved him! What had she done? All for vanity and caring about what others might think of her disheveled appearance.

No. She simply wouldn't let her mind and body act against her like this, staying alert and ready was all that mattered right now. If she was truly guilty of being a negligent wife, and a growing part of her did indeed feel that way, she'd deal with it later. Her husband's survival was of the utmost importance.

There she stood, closing her eyes and trying her best to center herself despite hearing the nurses and doctor having trouble keeping William's arms and legs from thrashing about. The seizure was particularly violent and she knew nothing good would ever come of it.

Her thoughts traveled back to day's events. Why didn't she check the peep hole? Why didn't she alert William to Leonard Warwick's entrance into the suite? Why hadn't she screamed bloody murder to get help? Why did she wait so long to assist William in his fight? She'd never forgive herself for all of this.

He was in the strangest home he'd ever seen. Everything about it was linear, geometric and open. Turning about himself, he felt like he was home but knew that he hadn't ever seen the place before in his life. In the corner of what he observed to be the living/dining room, he spotted one of his favorite pictures of him and Julia on their wedding day. Thoughts of that day and night warmed him all over, after 8 years they were finally one. Smiling, William observed the unique architecture and design of the windows above the dining room table, beautiful in their simplicity. Was this their home? The place was certainly odd but comfortable at the same time. Some of Julia's medical journals were stacked haphazardly on a small table. What was this place?

Suddenly, the fireplace roared to life behind him and startled, he turned to see his beloved wife sitting in one of the main chairs staring into the fire. Her hands were red, she'd been ringing them so hard that he could see that she'd burst some capillaries in them. She was obviously dressed for the day, but looked so scared and haggard. "Julia?" He immediately moved over to her, squatting and placing his hands on hers. "What is it? Please tell me so I can make it better." His beautiful wife simply wept with all of her might. He'd never seen her so overcome, not since her father's death.

"Oh, William…please, don't leave me alone. I can't bear it."

"I'm right here, my love. I'd never leave you," he said reaching for her soft cheek. She seemed to not process his presence.

Intense sobs erupted within her, her petite willowy frame violently shaking. "I cannot believe this is happening. They won't let me in to help you! What have I done?"

"Help me with what, Julia? I don't understand. You haven't done a thing. Look at me, darling please." He took her face and tried to turn it towards him but was unsuccessful. "Julia?"

"William, please…we have so much left to do together. Don't go…"

Was she not listening to him on purpose? What the devil was going on? "I'm right here, Julia! I'm not going anywhere!"

"William…" She had begun to hyperventilate, grabbing her chest and ordering herself to calm down. "I'm no good to him if I'm in the hospital too. He'll be fine, he'll be fine. Maman*, please help him."

She was calling out to her mother? What was happening? His heart went out to her, as well as his anger and frustration at seeing her in such a state. "Julia, please. I'm right here! Look at me!"

"William, you're everything to me. I've never told you enough about how I feel for you. It's always implied between the two of us and we need to be better about it," she stood, her face now splotchy and her nose running slightly. Her eyes were bloodshot and she rubbed them as a small child would. "I love you. Don't you dare leave me here! I forbid it!"

"William?"

His mind was still foggy, his body weak.

"William, can you hear me? How is his heart rate?"

He could hear Julia's voice quite clearly, but he couldn't register what was happening.

"William, please answer me!"

Another voice echoed around him. "Dr. Ogden, give him some time to rest. He's had a very severe seizure and his body needs to rest."

"Please, William. I'm here!"

"Dr. Ogden," a nurse approached her.

"Leave me be! He needs to know I'm here!"

Dr. Best walked over to her. "Dr. Ogden, I will not permit you to badger the nurses who have done nothing but try to help your husband."

Without warning, the detective began to stir sitting up and sending his IVs crashing to the floor. Blood from his arms peppered the floor from the needles being ripped from his veins. "JULIA!" His scream ran down the spines of all in the room and into the hallway, civilians and hospital staff stopping mid stride.

"William! No! Don't get up! You're not well!"

Her husband was out of his mind with fear and from what, she couldn't tell. Climbing out of bed and shoving an orderly out of the way the detective's strength began to leave him with the effort. "WHERE'S MY WIFE?! GOD DAMNED YOU, GET OUT OF MY WAY YOU IMBECILE! "

Julia sprinted over to her husband and held out her hands to him. "William, I'm right here! I'm right here!" She'd never heard her husband speak in such a way before. "William, you need to stay in bed. It's all right!"

"MY WIFE! MY WIFE! WHERE IS SHE?!"

Dr. Best called out to a nurse to prepare a sedative for him. "Now! Hurry! Dr. Ogden, please get out of the way before you get hurt!"

"He won't hurt me, he's just afraid," she said feeling inwardly nervous that the older man was right. Never taking her eyes off of her husband whose eyes were filled with terror and agony. "William! It's me! It's all right! I'm right here, darling! See me!"

"GILLIES HAS JULIA! MY GOD, HE HAS JULIA!"

"William, Gillies is dead! We both made sure of that! PLEASE CALM DOWN!" Tears now pouring from his eyes, Julia took the moment and grabbed her husband's face with both of her hands. "Look at me! I'm fine, darling! Hush!" Recognition overcame him.

"Ju-Ju-Julia?"

Her own eyes overflowing, she smiled at him wiping his tears away with her thumbs. "Yes, darling. I'm here. See, I'm very much here with you. You haven't got rid of me as of yet, I'm afraid."

An emotional sob creeped out of his body as he enveloped his wife in an intense embrace, releasing a deep exhale as he inhaled the scent of her hair. "Oh my God, Julia…you're alive."

"Yes, William, yes! I'm alive, no need to worry dearest."

"I thought I lost you, Julia! I thought-"

She chuckled through her snivels. "Well, you thought wrong Mr. Murdoch."

He too found himself chuckling, backing away from her slightly to make sure she was truly there. "Julia, I want to go home. Please, I just want to be with you. I miss you dearly." She'd never seen her husband in such a state before, he was almost childlike in his desperation to never be apart from her.

"Before we can go home, you need to get better. Sit down on the bed." He did so, holding onto her hand tightly. His legs almost buckled underneath him, but luckily an orderly was there to assist.

"Where are we, Julia? Who are these people?"

A nurse brought over a chair for her, Julia nodding her thanks. "You're in the hospital for a severe head injury and now a seizure William. All is well though. Not to worry." Making sure to keep her husband's focus on her, she silently nodded to Dr. Best who placed his needle with the sedative into William's arm. "You need to rest, dearest. As soon as you're better we can go home and see Pistachio. You'd like that wouldn't you? To see our girl?" Her husband's warm brown eyes began to droop.

"Who is that, Julia...?" His speech began to slur, no longer able to battle the drug that swiftly took over his body. "Please, I want to go with you. I want to go home."

Surely William didn't forget who Pistachio was? His mind was probably going every which way at the moment, he simply needed more time. "Hush, William. We'll be home just as soon as you're well enough."

"So you're tellin' us that you haven't seen your son in days?"

"No! He didn't appear at work either. I placed a missing person's report with Station House 1."

The Inspector and John looked at one another knowingly. No wonder nothing had been done about it. "Mr. Warwick, I'm sorry to inform you but your son attacked my best detective and his wife yesterday at their home. Said detective is gravely injured and is in hospital after being hit in the head with a heavy door stop. Your son, on the other hand was in police custody, tried to commit suicide and subsequently fled the hospital by jumping out of a second story hospital window."

Hearing the news, the older man's knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground. John Brackenreid went to assist the man, placing his bony arm around his neck. "Here sir, sit down. Let me get you some water." Nodding to his son in thanks, Inspector Brackenreid grabbed his own chair and placed it directly across from the older man whose face was turning the palest white.

"Is Len…alive?"

"He's currently Toronto's most wanted criminal at the moment. Mr. Warwick, tell me about your son. Who are his friends? Does he have a sweetheart?" Returning with a tall glass of water, John held it to the man's mouth and he drank thirstily, finishing it. "Get him some more, John."

"I-, he-, he doesn't have many friends, sir." Narrowing his eyes, the Inspector leaned in uncomfortably close to Leonard Warwick, Sr.

"Does he have a sweetheart?"

"Yes, yes…he is going to be married soon…oh my God, Len what did you do?!" The older man began to shake. "He's a good boy, Inspector I swear it. It couldn't have been him!"

"Who is the girl?" John returned once more, now handing the glass to the man who took a large gulp. "What is her name and where does her family live?"

"Is the detective and his wife…did they-"

"No. So far, the detective is in stable condition."

John cut in. "Your son even injured their dog."

Warwick, Sr. looked up at the tall, blonde young man almost the spitting image of his father, except his father was rather portly. "That's not my boy, he'd never hurt an animal. He works at the pet store, he trains the dogs on Saturdays…"

"Well your boy did and the dog almost died." Thomas wasn't certain of this fact, but the poor pooch did look terrible the last time he saw her. "Now, where does the girl live? Let me remind you, I can pull you into my cells for not cooperating with the constabulary."

"Please don't hurt my boy, Inspector. I know he'd never purposely harm anyone."

"Listen to me, what your boy did was especially heinous. Did you know he was stalking the detective's wife?"

The older man simply couldn't compute what was being said to him. It was as if he was reading an old penny dreadful his grandfather used to read to him. "Stalking? Wh-what in the world do you mean?"

The two men's knees were now touching, the Inspector's nerves running dangerously thin. "What I mean is your son is a damned danger to society, especially to women! If you don't tell me that girl's name and address, so help me I'll charge you with accessory to murder and make sure your boy is on the business end of the noose!"

"No, please don't hurt my boy! Her name is Adrienne Burke and she lives at 7111 Dundas Street!" Thomas Brackenreid slapped the other man's knee hard in mock solidarity.

"Good man. If your son comes to your home you are to alert the constabulary and phone Station House Number 4. Don't you dare move from this house, I'll be sending constables to stand by your door. If you try to get away from me to warn your son I will find out and I will throw you into the cells myself. Let's move John." His son did so, closing the door solidly behind them.

Julia wrapped her arms around her husband who slept soundly. Now sharing the narrow bed with him, she felt a little more at peace and normal in an otherwise unnerving situation. Careful not to disturb the wound on his head, she placed the lightest of kisses onto his forehead feeling the weight of sleep begin to envelop her in its warmth. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep a blanket around her shoulders and another covering both she and William. If this was to be the ways things were for a while, she'd happily accept them as long as he was still with her in any capacity. Her only regret was that Pash couldn't join them in their slumber together. How she missed her so.

*Maman is Mother in French; Source: Google Translate