David stood still. His hands clenched. His thoughts were running through his mind, but there was one thought that kept popping up: him being taken out of the station in handcuffs. He was afraid of what he would do to Captain Engle if he saw him. David closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before turning around to go back to his apartment.

Linda and Chris followed quietly behind him. Before Chris entered, he had to work out in his head the change in roles. He was always the jokester and was seen as someone who wasn't too serious unless he was at the hospital. He was usually carefree, but this turned his world upside down. And for him to be the voice of reason was unheard of, almost unimaginable. That was David's job. He had never seen the fire that David had in his eyes, but he was glad that Jennifer had someone like that in her corner.

The three reconvened at the table. Linda and Chris were discussing finding replacements for their shift that would start in just mere hours. "Listen, guys, I'm off tomorrow, well actually, today. We'll be good," David replied.

"Right now, I'm a little worried about leaving you alone, Chico," Linda said. She was speaking for both her and Chris. They were concerned about what this man could do to the ones that he loves.

"Really, I'll be fine. I'm more worried about Jen." He made a glance down the hallways before shaking his head. "Listen, I'm going to bed."

"Mind if I crash here?" Linda asked.

"Sure, you take my bed. But aren't you going to need your uniform and things for shift?"

She chuckled. "Honey, I was going to the bar. I'm single, sort of. I wasn't sure where I was sleeping at tonight if you know what I mean." She smirked and gave him a wink. "But to be honest, I wasn't thinking I'd be spending the night at your apartment. I got all my stuff out in my car. I'll be right back."

David started pulling out another blanket and grabbed a pillow that sat on the couch. He made up a spot on the ground and lay down.

"David, it's your place, you should have the couch."

"No, it's all yours. Just promise me, if Linda asks you to bed, you turn it down," David advised.

"I'm glad my sister has a friend like Linda, but I don't think I could handle that chica," he chuckled.

As soon as Linda returned, she invited Chris to share the bed, but he said he was comfy where he was at. "I'd invite you, but Jenny's my friend and there's you and her," she said directed to David.

"We're…"

"Don't say just friends. What I saw out of you just a few minutes ago, showed me that there's more than just friends." Chris flipped onto his side, facing the couch. He was glad that someone else saw that. David made no arguments as he got up and turned off the lights.

Mere hours later, David had breakfast cooking and coffee made. Something the three needed. A part of him did not want his friends to leave because of the uncertainty of looking out for Jennifer. He was amazed at home these three people quickly became more of his family then his own. There wasn't much to say during breakfast and the two were already rushed. In a flash, he stood alone, cleaning up the kitchen. He looked down at his leftovers. She needed to eat.

He walked through the living room and down the hallway to her bedroom door. He gave a gentle knock.

"Yeah," she called out. It sounded as if she had been up for some time.

"Hey, there's breakfast out here. You should eat. I bring it in to you for breakfast in bed if you like," David proposed.

"I'm not hungry. I just want to get a little more sleep." This same interactions happened throughout the day as he checked on her. It was the same thing, she was fine. She didn't need anything. David tried to distract himself with the television but his mind kept wandering to all the possibilities of what could have happened to Jennifer the previous day. Each thought was worse than the last.

On his way home from work, Chris was already formulating his plan. He was going to pack his overnight bag again and head back to his sister's apartment. As soon as he arrived home, he realized his plans were about to change. His father was at work, but his mother sat in the living room on the recliner. His mother was usually busy doing something around the house or going out for groceries on Saturdays, not lounging around the house at 4:00 pm. It was deliberate. She was waiting for Chris.

"How was your day at the hospital?" It always started out with a neutral question to check in. Drop his guard a bit. He knew her playbook, but it didn't always help. She had great execution.

"It was good?" he questioned. He knew where this would go.

"You heading back to Jen's this afternoon?"

"Yeah, I was going to grab my stuff and head over now," he explained. He started walking towards the stairs, briefly thinking she was just going to let him go about his business.

"How's your sister? I'm surprised you're allowed over two days in a row," she commented. The two could pluck each other's nerves.

Deflection, that was his tactic. "Of course she'd want me there. Who doesn't want to be around my charming personality." He gave his mom a cheesy grin as he started up the first step. As he was ready to take on the second step, his mother called him down.

"We need to talk. What is wrong with Jennifer?" His heart sank. It was never any good when a woman said "we need to talk." Even if this time, it came from his mother. He back tracked down the stairs and gave a sigh. He knew he was no match for his mother.

"There's really not much to say mom." The look. It was the one look that could get him nervous. Even at twenty-four years old, he knew the potential wrath of his mother. With silence, he continued on. "She didn't really say a whole lot. We figured something bad happened on shift, but she won't tell us about it." Maybe he could get away with telling her the whole story.

"So, you spent the entire evening and night over there and she didn't say anything?" She was checking to see if he was willing to change his story.

He didn't want to tell his mother that Jennifer wasn't exactly in the best talking state. She was barely in a slurring her words state. "I spent most of the night talking with David and Linda."

"Hmm," she knew that there was more to the story, but she could respect that her brother wanted to maintain some trust between his sister and him. She decided that she should just see how Jennifer was doing herself. "You should relax for a little while. I'm going to go over and visit with Jen," it may have sounded like a suggestion, but Chris knew that it was an order.

Joanne went to her room to retrieve her shoes and purse. When she returned to the living room, she saw Chris sitting in the recliner, with his feet up while watching the television. "I'll see you later."

"Bye mom."

He waited a moment before checking the window to make sure she had left. He went to the kitchen. The least he could do was give his sister a heads up. After last night, she needed all the time to think. He dialed the number.

David picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"David, it's Chris. I'm just warning you. My mom's on the way over."

"Oh boy, I'm sure Jenny's going to love that," David's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"How's Jenny doing? I'm going to come back over when mom gets back."

"She's been holed up in her room most of the day. Won't eat. She's blaming it on the hangover. I mean it may be different for her, but I've been able to function better after a hangover."

Chris's mind wandered at the thought of David hung over. He just couldn't picture someone who seemed so responsible would have more than a beer or two.

"Listen, you don't know my mom. When's she's on a mission just watch out and get out of her way. If she asks you a question, she can tell if you're lying. It's like some super power."

David's head was spinning. He had spoken to Joanne several times, but he always had Jennifer's assistance. He was typically quiet during the interactions.

"You should come over with her," David plead. He got his answer when he heard a click and the dial tone. I guess I should be grateful that he at least gave a heads up, David thought. Chris tried to at least kick back and relax, because he could only imagine how irate his sister would be when he showed up this evening.

It was thirty minutes later that David heard the knock on the door. He got up from the couch and answered the door.

"Hello Mrs. DeSoto. How are you? Come in." He moved to the side and guided her in with an outstretched arm.

"Remember to call me Joanne or Jo. And can we come out to the hall? I want to speak to you without Jennifer hearing."

He followed her out to the hallway. "How is she doing?"

"I don't know. She won't talk to anyone. And after her binge yesterday, well, let's just say today hasn't been too productive."

"Any idea what happened yesterday? At the station. If there's something that Roy can do."

David shook his head, unsure of how Jennifer would want to proceed. He wasn't even sure if she would continue to be a firefighter.

"Apparently there's history of sexual assault at the station she went to yesterday. She won't say if something like that happened. But she did say that she was going to quit the department. Chris and I talked her into waiting until Tuesday night to decide that way she can at least see what shifts and stations she's working Wednesday and Friday."

Joanne tried to hide her anger, but she could feel her cheeks flush. "Thank you. Do you mind if I speak to her alone."

"Let me grab my wallet and I'll head out. Do you need anything? Should I get her anything?" He felt so useless for being able to help and protect her.

"I think we'll be good. Thank you for everything you've done." She placed a hand on his forearm as he turned to go back in.

Joanne stood in the living room until David collected his wallet and keys. She walked down the hallway and tapped on Jenny's closed door.

"I'm fine, David. I'm not hungry or thirsty. Don't worry. If I need something, I'll let you know," Jenny called out from under the covers. Joanne was thankful that Jenny had David. She just wondered when the two would find their senses and admit their feelings for each other. Joanne turned the knob.

When Jenny heard the door open, she pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by," Joanne gave a quick smile. She made her way to the corner of the bed.

"Let me guess, Chris talked to you. Him and his big mouth!" she spouted off. "I could just kill him."

"Seems like something's wrong, honey. I'm a little worried about you."

"I'm fine." Jennifer hoped that if she said it enough, she really would be fine.

Joanne knew better to argue with her daughter. Jennifer tended to shut down when she felt angry and she'd let it build before exploding. Then she would shut back down. She loved her daughter, but she had to remind herself that she was barely an adult. Joanne looked around the room, looking for something that could open up a discussion. There she saw it on the nightstand, a familiar looking pin. She leaned over and grabbed it off the nightstand and held it up so she could take a better look at it. It had the star of life set in the background. Front and center was a stork carrying a baby. The whole thing was silver. "Your father was so excited when he finally earned his stork pin. It took him almost two years, if I remember correctly. I remember how excited he was. He tried to take me out for a steak dinner to celebrate. There was just one problem, it was 8:00 am." She got a small chuckle from Jennifer. Joanne scooted along the bed to be closer to Jennifer. They both rested their backs against the oak headboard. "Tell me about bringing in life." She put the pin out to Jennifer. Jennifer took it and stared for a moment. A slow smile crept up on her face.

"Man, mom, I was scared. It was the first time I really got to do something. Normally I just carry things around or relay info to the hospital. I got lucky. The mom didn't want any man to see her. I thought it was kind of dumb at the moment, but I understand that now." Jennifer explained. For a brief moment, she thought about her assault and how she didn't want another man to see her. A frown came to her face.

Her mother redirected the conversation back to the happy parts. "Then what happened?"

"There was two paramedics…" she started telling her mother everything that happened from Bill giving her all the directions to celebrating with cigars to receiving the stork pin from the captain. Her smile grew with each sentence.

"You don't want to give that up do you honey?" Jennifer looked down. Her eyes closed tightly trying to stop the threat of tears. "What happened yesterday? Did someone do something to you?" Jennifer struggled to get words out and only nodded. Joanne took a small breath, she had to go down the rabbit hole. "Did he force you to do something you didn't want to do?" Another nod. Joanne put her arms around her. It was that moment that the dam burst. The tears lasted several minutes and all her mother could do was hold her. It wasn't a skinned knee that she could kiss the pain away. "Honey, I can't imagine what happened on Friday, but someone forced you to do something you didn't want to do. Please don't let him force you into something like giving up the job. This is a decision that you should want to do."

She shook her head in disagreement. "I can't have this happen again mom. I didn't do anything to stop him. I didn't yell. I…I…I didn't hit him. Kick. I…my back…to the wall." Jennifer was struggling with getting her words out. Her heart was racing. Her hands went to each other and she began to pick at her cuticles. It was the panic on top of the anxiety that she had struggled with at times. Her mother took her hands in hers and began to rub the backs of them. It was something that she did when Jennifer was younger when she was feeling anxious. It helped calm her. They sat in quiet for a few minutes until her breathing returned to normal. "You know, I know I'm more introverted. I always put my school work before those kinds of relationships. But I thought, someone touching me like that. Am I being dumb, naive? But I'd figured the guy doing those sorts of thing, well that I'd like them, care about them, maybe love them? What'd I do. I just stood there and let it happen." It started to make sense. She had lost her innocence, her power, and maybe her fight.

"Honey, it wasn't your fault. I'm sure that an investigation can be completed. He can get disciplinary actions through the department and if that doesn't work, we'll go to the police. But we should speak to you dad."

Jennifer's eyes widen in horror. She shook her head. "No. No. No. Dad, can't know." It's was bad enough that most of her family and friends knew about her dirty little secret. She didn't want everyone she knew and cared about to view her as a weak victim.