Alison pulls the cookies out of the oven as the front door opened. Sean and Jack stopped at the sight of her.
"Aunt Al, what are you doing here." She pointed at the baby monitor on the counter.
"Ethan and I thought that we would come by and make you some cookies." Her two nephews' eyes shot to the cookies on the pan.
"Thanks, Aunt Al, but we had a big lunch." She followed their gaze and laughed.
"Greg made the dough if that makes you change your vote." the two teenagers dropped their bags and walked over to the counter. "I thought that might change things."
"So, when do you go back to work," Sean asked, taking a bite of a cookie. Alison glanced at the monitor. Ethan would be up in a little bit. Jack elbowed his brother.
"She might not go back to work. Mom didn't go back to work until we were older; maybe she wants to do that too." Alison smiled.
"I'm going back to work after my leave ends next month. I won't work full time, only three shifts a week like what Lindsey did went Lucy was born." Sean nodded.
"So, what is going to happen to Ethan." Alison pulled her hands into tight fists.
"Greg will watch him when I'm working. If we are both working, then Lindsey said she would watch her like how I do for Lucy right now." Alison shrugged her shoulders, taking another bite of her cookie.
"Are you nervous about leaving him?" Ethan cried out, and she jumped, laughing it off.
"Why don't you guys get working on your homework? I'll get Ethan up." She hurried out of the kitchen into the guestroom where his temporary crib was set up. She shut the door, picking him up. "Hey, don't worry, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'm here. You're not alone. He can't get you. He's gone." She repeated it over and over until her heart slowed to a normal rate.
Danny walked up to Greg at the nurse's counter.
"Hey, what's up." Greg looked down at his notes.
"Faith Madison contusions and lacerations. She said her jerk ex-boyfriend beat her up. She's in 12A." A woman screamed from the direction of the room. Greg and Danny turned, spotting a man in the room shoving Faith up against the wall. They ran toward them. Danny got there first, grabbing the man and throwing him to the ground, getting on top. Greg gently took Faith's arm to keep her from falling over.
"Is that the man that hurt you," he asked, keeping his voice even letting go of her arm.
"Yeah, Yeah, Raymond Stevens," Greg nodded as the officer took the man away. Danny was grabbing his hand.
"You good." Danny popped his thumb back in place.
"Yeah, as long as we can lock him up." Greg looked at all the cameras and witnesses standing around them.
"That hopefully won't be an issue." Danny grabbed a chair and sat across from Faith. She took in a few deep breaths before nodding for them to start asking her questions.
"So that was Raymond?" Danny asked, glancing at the door where the man had been led out of the room.
"Yeah, he was the first person I've gone out with, and he was great in the beginning."
"They usually are." Danny growled. She looked at him then nodded.
"Yeah. I don't know. I guess I just miss being part of a couple, you know?"
"I get it," Danny said. She smiled, pointing at his hand.
"Yeah, See, you're married; I'm sure you understand." Greg paused, taking notes glancing over at Danny.
"Actually, my wife passed away 5 months ago. I know about that." Faith's mouth dropped open.
"I'm so sorry." Danny waved her off.
"Um, Let's get back to Raymond," Greg said, turning the conversation back to the reason they were here in the first place. Danny nodded his thanks.
"When did he start becoming violent?"
"About a month ago he. He came to pick me up at work at the hospital."
"Are you a doctor?" Greg asked.
"No nurse at St. Irene's, and he saw me walking out talking to a male coworker, and he got really angry. And I thought maybe he was just having a bad day, but then he started sending me threatening texts and…uh demanding to know who I ate lunch with and who I was talking to. And that's when I ended it."
"Good for you," Greg said, turning the page in his notebook.
"I feel like such a fool." Danny leaned forward in his chair.
"Listen, it's really not your fault." She shook her head.
"Okay. Uh, so what happens now?"
"Well, Raymond will be charged with assault and strangulation."
"And how do I know he'll leave me alone?" Greg locked eyes with Danny giving him a slight nod.
"You don't," Danny said.
"You should probably apply for an order of protection," Greg explained. "It basically says he can't come within 500 feet of you."
"Or make any contact with you at all," Danny added.
"Well, what if he shows up somewhere?"
"Call 911," Greg said. Danny pulled out his card.
"Or you can call me. This is my number. He shows up call right away." She took the card.
"Thank you." She looked at his bruised hand. "You should get that looked at." Danny got to his feet.
"I will thank you." He and Greg walked out of the room.
"You sure that was a good idea giving her your number," Greg asked.
"What would you have me do. Let that creep walk all over her. You saw what he did to her." Greg held up his hands.
"I'm just saying it's against protocol."
"Just add this to the list."
Alison stood in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes.
"You were quiet at dinner.
I know Ethan has a doctor's appointment on Thursday." Frank said, leaning against the counter next to her. "But I figured you would have an opinion about violent offenders being let out." She slowed the scrubbing of the dishes.
"I couldn't really add anything to the conversation." She rinsed the plate and added it to the rack to dry.
"Al, what is it. Something is bothering you." She ignored his question, grabbing one of the posts. He rested a hand on her shoulder, and she went tens. Images flashing through her head. A voice laughing over her. The pot slipped out of her hand, and she backed up. Frank pulled his hand back as quickly as he had set it. "I'm sorry." Alison pulled her arms close around her body, ignoring the water on them. Bending her knees, she formed a small ball. Frank looked at the door into the kitchen then crouched down in front of her. She locked eyes with him.
"How can I leave him." Frank smiled.
"Ethan is going to be fine." She met his gaze. "All parents worry about their kid, but all of them have to let go at some point."
"But I wasn't." Frank closed his eyes.
"And that is my biggest regret, but that does not mean that I can put you in a box or watch you every second of every day. Only be there if something happened."
Greg walked up to Raymond's apartment next to Danny.
"Like I said." The landlord stammered. "I can't let you in." Danny knocked on the door, but there was no response. Danny looked up at Greg.
"Do you smell that?" Greg glanced back at the landlord.
"Uh yeah, man, what is that." Danny nodded.
"It smells like gas." The landlord started sniffing the air.
"I don't smell anything." Greg turned to look at him.
"Really, you must be used to it. If I had to guess, I would say it's coming from this apartment."
"Yeah, Raymond might have left the gas on. He could be in serious danger." Danny added.
"Maybe your right I think I do smell it." The landlord pulled out his keys he unlocked the door. Danny and Greg pulled their guns, walking into the apartment.
"Police," Danny called out. It didn't take long for them to clear it, making sure he wasn't hiding somewhere. The landlord ran to the kitchen to check the stove for the nonexistent gas leak.
"Greg, look at this." Danny said, holding up an empty box of gun ammo.
"He bought enough ammo to do some serious damage." Greg tapped on the laptop to stop the screen saver.
"Looks like he was Googling street views and walkways of St. Irene's." Danny pulled out his phone.
"Call Mac; we have to get this place locked down." Greg walked after him pointing for the patrol officers to guard the entrance.
"Danny, what's wrong?" Greg asked, getting into the car.
"That hospital is where Faith works. He's going after her." Greg cursed, letting out a low breath. Then a cold chill ran up his spine.
"Danny, what day is it." Danny glance over at him.
"Thursday." Greg slammed the dashboard.
"Alison is at St. Irene's with Ethan."
"Call her." Greg was already dialing her number. He took in a deep breath.
"It's going to voice mail."
"Keep trying."
Alison walked down the hallway with Ethan's doctor.
"So, you think he's doing alright." Dr. Martin smiled, looking down at the sleeping child.
"He is in the upper percentile of height, and he is catching up in weight. There haven't been any issues with the introduction of food, so I feel comfortable transferring him over to a primary caregiver." Alison nodded, the tension in her shoulders not lessening.
"I mean, I understand if you want to keep." Dr. Martin stopped looking at her.
"Alison, it's natural to be concerned. He was born early but believe me, he is doing fine." Alison opened her mouth to say something when an alarm started, followed by a gunshot. Alison looked at the doctor.
"Can I trust you to get him out of here?" She said, handing over the carrier while she pulled her gun. Dr. Martin nodded. Alison made one last glance down at Ethan before running down the hallway toward the gunshot calling for people to get back into their rooms. She pulled her phone out, seeing 20 messages from Greg. She called dispatch identified herself.
"Shots fired at St. Irene's. It sounds like it's coming from the 5th floor." Gunshots continued to go off overhead making their way toward the stairs. She came to the corner that led into the main hall and stopped taking a deep breath. Slowly glancing around the corner, she could see him. He was charging down the hallway. He stopped at the room, pointing his gun at a nurse and a small boy in a bed. The woman locked eyes with her, and Alison signaled for her to stay calm.
"Where's Faith." The man screamed out.
"I don't know." The woman replied. Alison spotted a nurse and a small boy running down the hallway. Unfortunately, so did the man. He grabbed the woman pressing the gun to her head.
"Hey, don't do it." Danny's voice called out. Alison moved so she could see down the hallway spotting Greg and Danny at the end of it.
"Faith hurt me, but no-no one cares about that?" The man called out. The woman, whose name was Faith, pleaded with him trying to get him to relax.
"Let talk," Danny called out to him. Greg was keeping quiet, not wanting to escalate the situation any more than it already had.
"You kill me; you kill her."
"I don't want to kill you." Danny did his best to keep his voice even.
"I want people to know what she did." There was movement at the end of the hallway as SWAT moved toward them. Greg called them off, telling them to back up. As the man pointed his gun at them. Alison pulled the trigger, and he dropped. She held out her badge walking around the corner. Faith dropped to the ground, her legs giving out. Alison kicked the gun away for the dead body. Danny walked over to Faith, hugging the woman. Greg running over to her hugging her.
"You didn't answer your phone." He said. Alison shoved the emotions down, pushing him back.
"You have to go find Dr. Martin. She has Ethan. I..." Her voice cracked. Greg nodded.
"I'll go find him and call you." She nodded, biting her lower lip. "He's going to be alright."
Greg rolled over in the bed and froze. Space next to him was empty. He shot up, looking around the room, his eyes shooting to the bathroom. The door was open. He grabbed his gun-walking out of the room. His hearts bounding.
"Ally." He called out, but there was no response. He relaxed, seeing the light coming from Ethan's room. He walked over to the door leaning against the doorframe. Alison was standing by the crib, looking down at their son. "Hey." He said. She didn't jump or even move. Greg put his gun away, walking over to stand next to her.
"I didn't hesitate." She said.
"What." He rubbed her arm.
"When I heard that gun go off and the arms, I didn't hesitate to leave him." Greg closed his eyes.
"You're a cop. That's what we are asked to do." Alison looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I feel like I failed him." Greg smiled, whipping her cheek with his hand.
"You didn't, Alison. You saved a lot of people today." He rested his forehead on hers. "I know that I can't change your mind but know that I know that you love Ethan and are a great mother." He felt Alison smiled.
"Thank you."