Living In Terror

by RkieFan

Filler for 'To Taste Of Terror'

DISCLAIMER: The characters are the property of Viacom and Spelling/Goldberg Productions. No copyright infringement is intended. I do not own the characters. I just like to take them out once in a while and play with them. I promise to put them back in the same shape when I'm finished.

TITLE: LIVING IN TERROR

RATING: PG

SETTING: First Season.

SUMMARY: This is a filler for the episode 'To Taste Of Terror' written by Richard Landau. This story contains dialogue from the episode. This was my favorite episode of the series, but it had a lot of holes and unanswered questions. I'm going to try to fill in some of those holes and answer some of the questions.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: My thanks to my beta buddy Bridget who pointed out to me the error of my ways and for helping me out as usual.

CHAPTER ONE: THE ARREST OF DAVID BORDEN

It was a blisteringly hot summer day. Officer Mike Danko felt like he was about to melt in his heavy dark blue police uniform as he drove the streets on routine patrol. He looked at his dashboard and saw the check engine light had come on for what seemed to be the tenth time that morning. He groaned in frustration, called into Central to put himself out of service and pulled into a nearby gas station to hose down the radiator.

Officers Terry Webster and Willie Gillis were also on routine patrol. Terry was behind the wheel of their squad car when both men spotted Mike pulling his car in the service station parking lot.

"What do you think?" Willie asked, looking over at Terry with a gleam in his eye.

"Well, I think we should see if we can be of assistance. After all, isn't our motto 'To Protect And To Serve?'" Terry declared virtuously, turning the car into the parking lot and following Mike's in.

Mike looked up as he was hosing down his engine and sighed.

"Hey, Mike! Problem, huh?" Willie asked with a smile.

"Nah, nothing a little water or a break in this heat wouldn't help," Mike answered casually, silently praying that his friends would have to answer a radio call shortly.

"Yeah, this weather's kind of hard on some of the older models," Terry smirked.

"I'll ignore that, Webster. I'll even pretend you were talking about ol' Betsy here," Mike remarked, patting the hood of his cruiser affectionately.

Willie continued with the diatribe, "Yeah, some of the older cops say heat waves really bring out the freaks. Like the guy who put chicken fat in a kids wading pool. Remember?"

"Well, that's kinda hard to forget," Terry nodded.

Mike turned off the water and slammed the hood down on his car. "There! Now, maybe the old fella can make it through the day!"

"Hey, if you break down again just give us a call, man," Terry offered magnanimously. "We'll be glad to come and get you."

"Yeah, I'll just bet you would," Mike muttered, coiling the hose and putting it back where he found it.

Meanwhile, David Borden and his younger brother, Lee, were busy breaking into an office supply warehouse a few blocks away. David had been in and out of trouble since he was a juvenile. He'd already done two stints in prison for burglary. Now he was introducing his brother to a life of crime. Lee was several years younger than David and had never been in any major trouble with the law before. David had just jimmied open a window when the alarm went off.

Mike, Terry and Willie were about to resume their patrol when the dispatcher's voice came over the radio "All available units in the vicinity of Monroe and Paxton, please respond to a 4-5-9 alarm, Lewis And Lewis Supply Warehouse! Repeat...all available units, a 4-5-9 alarm!"

"Let's go!" Terry exclaimed, starting Ludlow 9.

"Okay," Mike agreed. "I'll take Monroe Street! You guys take the other end!" He started Ludlow 7.

The two cars took off, sirens blaring and lights flashing. When they arrived at the scene they spotted two suspects running from the building. Mike pulled his cruiser to a screeching halt and took off after one of the suspects on foot while Terry and Willie chased the other one in their cruiser.

Mike finally chased his suspect alley and grabbed him as he tried to run up a flight of stairs into another building. Mike dragged the man over the railing where he stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Police!" Mike exclaimed, slightly winded. He pulled the suspect up by the back of his shirt. "Okay, on your feet!" Mike slammed the guy against a brick wall. "Come on, spread 'em!"

The man Mike had caught, David Borden, was belligerent and difficult to control. He had no desire to return to prison for a third time. "What is this?" He exclaimed, putting on his best 'Who, me?' appearance. "A citizen can't take a walk on Sundays anymore?"

Mike silently removed a pair of handcuffs from his belt, forced Borden's hands behind him and expertly slapped them on Borden's wrists, not in the mood for games.

"Oh, you guys get extra points for the handcuff job, too?" David remarked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.



Terry and Willie patrolled the area looking for the second suspect in vain but were unable to spot him anywhere in the maze of warehouses. They reported their results to dispatch and decided to see if Mike had any better luck. They found Mike as he was preparing to read his suspect his Miranda rights.

"I wanna advise you of your rights," Mike began patiently.

"Oh, save that garbage!" Borden exclaimed in disgust. He'd heard them enough times to have had them memorized by now.

Mike glanced over as Terry and Willie walked up empty-handed.

"The other one got away," Willie said, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.

"Yeah?" Mike said in amazement. He couldn't believe that they couldn't catch their suspect in their cruiser while he was able to capture his on foot. "Well, I'm glad you youngsters left the foot pursuit for the old man."

"Well, we just wanted to make sure you keep in shape, old man." Terry shot back sharply, chagrined that their perp got away.

"I'm going to book him at the precinct," Mike stated, jerking Borden in front of him.

"I'll ride with you," Willie offered.

"Come on, then," Mike snapped. He was hot, irritated, and more than a little irked that Terry and Willie somehow lost this jerk's partner.

Terry stopped Willie as he started to leave. "You know, he's never going to let us forget this little chase."

"What little chase?" Willie asked innocently, smiling.

Terry returned the smile as Willie got into the back seat of Mike's squad car. Willie was right. Why sweat the small stuff? He got into Ludlow 9 and pulled out.

After the two squad cars pulled away Lee cautiously crept out of his hiding place, which was on the roof of one the buildings. He couldn't believe Dave had been so stupid as to get arrested again! Lee knew that there was no way he could let his brother go back to the pen. If he had to take care of the arresting officer himself, that's exactly what he'd do.

Lee went back to the rooming house he had been sharing with David and called the precinct for information on his brother's arrest. He was told David would be arraigned the next morning at nine a.m. Lee intended to be there, but he knew he had to be careful. He didn't know if either of those three cops had gotten a good look at him the day before, but he decided it was best not to take any chances. He wouldn't be able to do David any good if he landed behind bars himself.



Mike picked Jill up at work that afternoon after processing Borden's arrest., Seeing his wife at the end of that long, hellishly hot day made the whole day seem worthwhile. After a long shower and dinner, they settled on the sofa. Mike had his head comfortably settled in Jill's lap while he read a book. She sat there watching TV, absently running her fingers through his hair.

After a long silence, Mike finally spoke. "You're not going to believe what Terry and Willie did this morning.."

"What did they do?" She asked curiously.

"We were chasing these two guys. I went after one of them on foot, they went after the other one in their squad. Guess who caught their guy?"

"Let me guess that it wasn't Terry and Willie," Jill guessed affectionately, smiling down at him.

"Nope, it wasn't Terry and Willie. I made a comment about how nice it was that they left the foot pursuit to the old man and Terry told me they just wanted to make sure I stayed in shape. I swear, if we weren't friends -"

"They were just ragging on you, Mike. You know they live for that stuff. Well, I don't know about you, old man, but I'm ready for bed," Jill bit back a grin at the look on Mike's face.

"When we get to bed, I'll show you who's old," Mike growled as he pulled Jill into his arms and started kissing her.



Mike was in court the next morning for the arraignment. Lee Borden had a seat in the back of the courtroom. He wanted to hear what they said about his brother.

Mike got on the stand and was sworn in. "-And as I drove up, I saw the suspect and another figure running out of the warehouse. They split up when Officers Webster and Gillis came on the scene from the other end of the alley. I pursued the suspect while Officers' Webster and Gillis tried to get the other one. He escaped and we were never able to get a good look at him."

"The witness may step down," the judge declared. "Based on the testimony and facts established, I conclude that there is ample cause for a trial. Due to the suspect's past record of habitual crime, I order him to be held without bail until the date of trial, which I will set for exactly one month from today, the fourteenth. Court is recessed!"

Terry and Willie, who'd been sitting in the gallery throughout the arraignment, followed Mike out of the courtroom. Lee Borden also got up and followed the three men unobtrusively.

Mike stopped at the door. "Oh, by the way, don't forget. You're supposed to have dinner at our place on Friday night."

"Should we, uh, bring some lady-type people?" Willie asked Mike in amusement.

"Don't make it a question! It's a statement. We're going to bring some lady-type people!" Terry corrected.

Mike smiled. "Beautiful! Wouldn't have it any other way!"

Willie gave him a half wave. "Hey, see ya later."

Lee Borden waited until the other two cops were out of sight before he approached Mike. "Pardon me? Officer Danko?"

Mike turned around curiously. The gentleman in front of him was tall, with longish curly brown hair and brown eyes. Mike had never seen him before in his life and couldn't place him. "Yeah?"

"I heard your testimony just now."

"What about it?" Mike asked, confused.

"Well, I know you were doing your duty and all, but did you hear what the judge said?"

"I heard a lot of things the judge said," Mike hedged, wondering where this conversation was going.

"I mean, about no bail on account of his record," Lee clarified helpfully.

"So?" Mike demanded, still at a loss.

"So, if they convict him, it could get him life, couldn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it could," Mike agreed, deciding that the time for games was over. "Look, you seem to know my name but I don't know yours." Mike was hoping maybe if he had a name, the face would register.

"Oh, well, my name doesn't matter," Lee answered evasively. "It's just that I know Dave Borden and I know that he has this brother. Raised him since he was a kid. They're really close, you understand?" He rambled nervously. "But, of course, like I said, you had to testify the way you did because you were just doing your job as a cop."

"I still don't know your name," Mike said quietly.

"That's right, you still don't," Borden stated coldly as he turned and walked out the door.

Mike watched Borden leave, deciding that had to be one of the strangest conversations he had ever had in his life. He glanced at his watch. It wasn't quite 11 a.m.... too early to stop by the hospital and have lunch with Jill, so he drove back to the precinct.

Lt. Ryker stopped Mike as he walked back into the precinct. "Danko!"

Mike turned toward the sound of Ryker's voice. "Yes, sir?"

"I need you to drive me around tomorrow. You're not due in court or anything like that, are you?"

"No, sir."

"Good, then I expect to see you at seven a.m. Now, aren't you due back out on the streets?" Ryker looked pointedly at his watch.

"Yes, sir. I was just coming to clock back in. I just got out of court."

Borden sat in his van outside the precinct that afternoon waiting for Mike to get off work, trying to remain patient. Of course Danko couldn't give a damn what happened to him. After all, it wasn't HIS brother that wasn't going to jail. Mr. 'Holier than Thou, Goody Two Shoes cop,' Lee fumed, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel angrily. 'He'll get his,' Lee vowed, taking a deep breath to try to calm down. Every person had their weak point and he was going to find out what Officer Danko's was.

He observed Mike leaving the precinct and followed him, making sure he kept a safe enough distance behind. He observed Mike pulling into the parking lot of Memorial Hospital. After about 10 minutes he saw an attractive brown-haired woman approach Mike's car. A smile came across Borden's face as he watched them kiss and embrace each other. "Well, well, well. I think it's time for the games to begin," Lee Borden chuckled to himself.

Once again he followed Mike as he drove to the apartment, deciding that the best way to get to Mike would be through the lovely lady dressed all in white.

CHAPTER TWO: THE GAMES BEGIN

Lee Borden went back to the rooming house and looked up the Danko's phone number in the white pages. He then began working on his plan of attack.



The next morning Jill was in the shower while Mike stood in front of the bathroom mirror shaving. He grabbed a towel off of the rack when he heard the water turn off.

He walked over and held the towel in front of the glass shower door. "Madam, your carriage waits yonder."

Jill opened the shower door and stepped into the fluffy yellow towel gratefully. "Oh, thank you."

Mike pulled her tighter into his embrace and began gently kissing her on the neck, causing tingles to go up and down Jill's spine.

"Come on, Mike, I'm getting you all wet," she complained good naturedly.

Mike continued kissing her, ignoring her protests.

"Mike, I've got surgical duty," she protested half-heartedly.

"Yeah and I've got Lt. Ryker riding with me this morning, but we'll both make it on time."

Jill tried to pull out of Mike's arms. "Mike -"

"Come on, when are you going to throw that book away?"

"What book?" She asked blankly.

"You know what book. That book on caution and precaution." Mike once again pulled her tighter into his embrace.

"Oh, that book." Jill asked with a smile.

"Yeah, that book. Michael Danko the Second. How does that grab you?"

"It's possible. But, I thought you wanted to wait." Jill pressed her forehead against his.

"Oh, I did say that and we did wait. But, now I'm proposing again." He reached over and brushed Jill's hair away from her face.

"Proposing again?" Jill asked in amusement.

"Yeah. I asked you once to be my wife and you said yes and now I'm asking you to be the mother of our kids. Do you need some time to think about it?" He looked at her carefully. He didn't want to push her into something she wasn't ready for.

"No, I've had time to think about it," she answered warmly, smiling at the look on his face. "After all, I've had four years. And the answer's yes."

About an hour later Jill had to run for the bus stop in order to make it to work on time. Lee Borden saw her leaving the apartment and followed behind her, keeping a safe distance behind. She sat down on the bench and peered down the block , hoping to see the bus pulling in. While she was waiting she observed a man approaching her. He was wearing a fedora hat pulled low over his eyes. She'd thought that was a little strange, considering the fact that his eyes were covered by silver rimmed aviator sunglasses. 'Well, it takes all kinds,' she thought to herself philosophically, not paying much attention to him. He started pacing back and forth behind the bus bench whistling 'Mary Had A Little Lamb.'

This started making her nervous. The bus finally pulled in and opened its doors. She got on the bus hastily and heaved a sigh of relief when the stranger didn't follow her. She took a seat and contemplated calling Mike when she got to work, then she decided that she was just over-reacting. What was she going to tell him? That some nut was whistling a nursery rhyme? It was a free country. He was entitled to whistle anything he liked. By the time she got to the hospital she'd put the incident out of her mind.




Mike hurried into the precinct, glancing at his watch as he hurried into the turnout room for Roll Call. He knew Ryker wasn't going to be happy.
"Danko! When I tell you I expect to see you at 7a.m., I do not mean 7:05!" Ryker's sharp voice stopped him just as he was about to go into the turnout room. "I mean 7a.m. on the dot."

"Yes, sir. Sorry."

"Well, let's go," Ryker prompted impatiently. "We're already late."

"Yes, sir."



Jill was listening to two other nurses chatting when she realized that she didn't have anything for dinner that night. She thought about calling Mike and asking him if he wouldn't mind stopping on the way home, then remembered that he was driving Lt. Ryker. One thing Jill had learned very early on was that Lt. Ryker was not crazy about outside trips when he was on patrol. She sighed in resignation, realizing that she'd have to stop at the market herself on the way home.



Lee Borden drove to the hospital that afternoon and sat waiting for Mike to pick Jill up after her shift was over. He was surprised when he saw her leave the hospital and walk to the bus stop on the corner. When the bus pulled up she got on it, Borden trailing behind. He got another surprise when she got off in front of the grocery store. Borden pulled into the parking lot and decided to go inside. Jill was nowhere in sight when he walked into the store, so he got a grocery cart and walked around, trying to look as if he were a customer. He finally he spotted her at the meat counter.

Jill picked up a carton of milk from the dairy case and started to head towards the meat counter when she stopped short. She noticed the same man she'd observed at the bus stop earlier that morning standing directly in front of her. She glanced around and saw that the market was fairly deserted.. This had to be more than just a coincidence, she thought anxiously. She decided to get away from him as quickly as possible and started to walk off. Borden suddenly pushed his empty cart in front of her, blocking her way. Borden watched her through his dark glasses. "Hi."

"Hello," Jill said neutrally, hoping that her voice didn't show how frightened she was. "Could I get through, please?"

"You're a nurse. Is lamb good for you?" Borden asked her as he picked up a package and examined it closely.

"Yeah, it's good for you. Could I get through, please?" Jill asked again, voice shaking slightly.

"You know, it's a dollar twenty-nine a pound. That's way high. The government ought to do something about that." Borden informed her seriously as he put the package back down.

"Look, I'm really in a hurry," she tried again in a high pitched voice. She would not fall apart in front of this man.

Borden finally moved his cart and Jill hurried past him before he had a chance to stop her again.

'First the bus stop that morning and now here at the grocery store,' Jill thought rapidly. Maybe she should say something to Mike, even if he did think she was being paranoid, she mused. As she walked away she overheard the man ask the butcher if he had a nice leg of lamb. Jill went to the cashier and paid for her groceries, hurrying onto the bus that had just pulled in before the man had a chance to follow her.

She was hoping that Mike or at least Willie and Terry would be home when she finally got off the bus. But, unfortunately, she didn't see either of their cars. She sighed, hefted the grocery bags in her arms and walked upstairs to her apartment. She'd just gotten to the front door and heard the telephone ringing shrilly. She pulled the keys out of her purse and unlocked the door while wrestling with the grocery bags. She finally got the door open and ran in, hoping she caught the caller before they'd hung up. She offered a silent prayer that it wasn't Mike saying he was running later than he expected. "Hello?" She asked breathlessly.

There was dead silence on the other end of the phone.

"Hello?" She prompted again in irritation. She wasn't in the mood for prank calls today. "Hello?"

The dial tone came on, so she replaced the receiver slowly. 'They just realized they had the wrong number,' she tried to convince herself, heart beating rapidly.


Mike pulled into his parking space, checked the mail and went upstairs. He smiled as he saw Jill picking up a grocery bag from the open doorway. He quietly slipped into the apartment and gathered her close to him, kissing her hungrily.

She struggled to get free for a few seconds in terror, not realizing who it was. Her heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Open up! Here comes the law!" He teased huskily, kissing her once again.

"Hey, the law's squashing the tomatoes!" Jill said in a slightly subdued voice, pulling free.

"Good!" He kissed her once again. "We can have us a Bloody Mary."

"No, we can't have us a Bloody Mary," she countered. "We don't have any vodka. Will you settle for a beer?"

"Yeah, I'll settle," Mike took the bags from Jill and put them on the counter. "So, how were the wars at the hospital today?"

"Well, today we won a few. Operations successful and patients lived," Jill handed Mike a beer, glad that he was home. "How about that? But, some of the weirdoes you run across on the street are really -" She stopped when she saw the look on Mike's face. "-are really not worth talking about. How was your day?"

"I caught a jaywalker," Mike took a swallow of his beer.

"Yeah?" Jill prompted, knowing from the tone of his voice that this was going to be good.

"I almost hit him," Mike nodded. "Ryker, needless to say, was not amused. And then the next thing I did, I spent forty-five minutes on the freeway trying to get back a dog to some little old lady from somewhere. Again, Ryker was not amused. He wanted to know when we'd become dog -catchers. Oh, I forgot to tell you this yesterday, but I invited Terry and Willie to dinner Friday night." He put down his beer and started nibbling on her neck.

"Time for you to skinny dip, my friend," Jill chuckled affectionately.

"Uh-uh," he agreed, not paying any attention whatsoever.

"Yeah, and you'd better make it a cold shower," she continued in a no nonsense voice. "I have to get dinner ready."

Mike reluctantly pulled away from her and walked into the bedroom. He pulled out his academy sweatshirt and a pair of jeans and walked into the bathroom, deep in thought. Something Jill said a few minutes ago disturbed him. 'How did she put it? Something about weirdoes you run across on the streets.' He absently heard the phone ring as he walked into the bathroom.



Jill was cutting vegetables for a salad when the phone rang. She wiped her hands off on a dishtowel before she picked it up on the third ring.

"Hello? Hello?" There was no response. Jill was getting angry. "Who is this?"

She waited several more seconds and was about to hang up when she heard it... a very faint whistling of 'Mary Had A Little Lamb." Jill felt her heart drop down to her shoes. It had to be the guy at the bus stop. Who else could it be? He was whistling that very tune in that same tone earlier.

She knew that she had to do something, but she wasn't sure what. She wanted to tell Mike desperately, but she knew that he had a tendency to over-react where she was concerned. That was the last thing she wanted. She thought for a few minutes and decided to call Willie and Terry. If she changed some of the facts around it could work and they wouldn't suspect that it had to do with her. She couldn't deal with their questions on top of everything else. She listened to make sure the shower was still running before she picked up the phone and dialed Terry and Willie's number.

Terry answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Terry, hi. It's me. Can I buy you and Willie lunch tomorrow?" She said in a high-pitched voice, hoping that she sounded calmer than she felt.

"Well, I don't know if we'll have time for lunch, but we can probably spare a few minutes for coffee," Terry answered thoughtfully, realizing that something was wrong. "What's going on? Is it important?" Terry looked over at Willie.

"Yeah, it's important," she replied, trying very hard not to fall apart. The last thing she wanted to do was fall apart on the telephone and have Mike come out and wonder what was going on. "So, can you come by around noon tomorrow?"

"Sure, noon's fine."

"Thanks, Terry. I appreciate it." Jill hung up the phone and started finishing making dinner before Mike came back and got suspicious.


A few hours later Jill was finishing the dinner dishes when Mike came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. She hadn't heard him come in over the sound of the running water. She screamed and dropped the glass she was holding. It fell into the sink and shattered into a thousand pieces.

"I'm sorry, Babe," Mike said guiltily, pulling her into his arms. "I didn't mean to startle you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, shaking violently.

"I'll clean this glass up," he offered as she pulled away from him. He knelt down and started picking up the pieces of broken glass. "Who was on the phone?"

"The phone?" She repeated nervously.

"Yeah, the phone," he prompted, studying her closely. Something was wrong. This wasn't like her at all. "I heard it ring when I was getting in the shower."

"Oh, it wasn't anybody," she lied quickly. "Wrong number," Jill hurriedly grabbed some plates before Mike could ask any more questions.



CHAPTER THREE: THE TERROR INTENSIFIES

Jill lay in bed that night trying to think of what she was going to tell Willie and Terry the next day without them getting too suspicious. She knew she'd have to pull off one hell of an acting job, especially with Terry. In the short time she had known the two cops, she had found out that Terry was almost as good at reading her as Mike was. She knew also that they were going to ask her why she hadn't gone to Mike with her tale. 'Good question,' Jill thought ruefully, trying to come up with something believable. 'Mike usually had to drive Lt. Ryker around the precinct at least once a week, sometimes more,' she mused. She could tell the guys she couldn't tell Mike because he had Ryker with him and they both knew how Ryker felt about unnecessary outside trips. She finally dozed off after finally coming up with a story she thought they might believe.



Terry and Willie pulled up in front of the hospital the next day shortly before twelve. They were both intrigued as to what she might want to talk to them about.

"Think she and Mike are having problems?" Willie asked worriedly.

"Could be, but I haven't seen any clues from Mike that there might be trouble in paradise," Terry replied as he opened the door and they both walked into the hospital.

Jill was at the nurses' station when she saw Terry and Willie walk in. She motioned for them to meet her in the nurses' lounge. She walked in a couple of minutes later with cups of coffee for both men. They accepted the coffee gratefully, then they both looked at Jill expectantly, waiting for her to say something.

"I've got to be polite," he began, being impolite, "but we're due back on the street in about five minutes, so what can we do for you?" Terry asked wryly, breaking the ice.

"Well, it's not for me, really, it's for a student nurse. It seems some guy's gotten a hold of her phone number and he's been calling her," Jill began awkwardly, hoping her voice wouldn't give her away.

Willie glanced at Terry and then at Jill, amused. "So, what's the problem?"

'Only a man would think this isn't a problem,' Jill thought to herself bitterly. She took a deep breath and continued. "Well, he doesn't say anything, he just calls. And there's a guy she thinks might be following her. So, she thinks maybe it's the same guy. So, she came to me and asked me what to do and I told her I would ask you guys."

"Why call us? Why not ask Mike?" Willie asked logically.

"Well, Mike's got Ryker with him today and I can't very well ask him to stop by here when he's got Ryker with him," Jill's voice rose slightly.

"Yeah," Terry said thoughtfully, deep in thought. He knew for a fact that Mike was driving solo today.

Jill glanced at Terry nervously as if she could see the wheels turning in his head. She had a feeling he wasn't buying one word of her story. "Well, what do I tell her?"

"Well, there are two schools of thought on that," Willie answered carefully, knowing something was missing from the story but he couldn't figure out what. "One is to have her change the number or, better yet, get an unlisted number."

Jill nodded, immediately discarding that suggestion. She couldn't even begin to think of what reason she'd give Mike if she suggested such an idea. She looked at the two men expectantly, wondering what the second school of thought was. "Okay. What's the other one?"

"If getting a new number doesn't do any good...if the guy's a psychotic, then the phone might be a safety valve. You take the safety valve away and he might do something worse, more physical." Terry answered, studying Jill's face to gauge her reaction.

"So, what do I tell her?" Jill asked shakily.

"Just what we said, Jill," Terry concluded, finishing the last of his coffee and throwing the empty cup in the trash can. "I know it's not much help, but there are really no answers."

"Okay," she sighed resignedly. "Well, thanks for stopping by. I'll tell her," Jill walked out of the lounge with them and watched them leave, heart sinking. 'What am I going to do now?' she thought to herself desperately.

Terry got behind the wheel of the squad pensively and stared out the windshield.

"What's up, Terry?" Willie asked after getting into the passenger side of the car and logging themselves back in service with Central.

"Ryker rode with Mike yesterday," Terry answered thoughtfully, trying to piece everything together in his mind. "I've never known him to have the same cop chauffeur him two days in a row." Something wasn't adding up.

"So, what's the big deal? Maybe no one else was available and he rode with Mike again today."

"I think Jill's the one getting the phone calls," Terry answered in a tight voice. It was the only thing that made sense.

"Do you think one of us should talk to Mike?" Willie asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Yeah, I do. We're supposed to go over there tonight anyway, right?"

"Yeah," Willie nodded.

"Look, I'll try to talk to Mike before we go over there. Maybe he can talk to Jill and find out what's going on," With that problem solved for the moment, they continued their patrol.



Terry was putting his shoes on that afternoon when Mike walked into the locker room. Willie was nowhere to be seen. Mike opened his locker and removed his street clothes. He looked over to find Terry watching him.

"What's wrong?" Mike asked curiously as he unbuttoned his shirt. "You guys are still coming over later, aren't you?"

"Yeah, the girls should be over about 6:30 and we figured we'd head over to your place around 7." Terry put his gun belt in his locker and closed it.

"Sounds great," Mike replied, nodding.

"Uh, Mike? Can I talk to you about something?" Terry ventured tentatively, not sure how to begin.

"Sure. What's going on?" Mike said agreeably, wondering what was on his friend's mind.

"I'm not sure how to say this, but we're worried about Jill," Terry finally answered, figuring that the best thing to do was to be up front.

"Who's worried about her?" Mike asked in confusion, sitting down. "You and Willie?"

Terry nodded.

"What are you worried about? She's fine."

"No, she's not. Something's going on," Terry explained honestly, finding it hard to put the situation into words. "We don't know what. Maybe you could try talking to her."

"You guys have been hanging around her too long," Mike chuckled. "I thought Jill was the only person I knew who was so good at talking in riddles. Can you at least tell me what I'm supposed to be talking to her about?"

"Mike, we don't know. But, something's wrong. Please talk to her," Terry concluded, getting up and walking towards the door.

"Okay, I'll talk to her, but it would help if I knew what I was talking to her about. I'll see you guys in a little while," Mike called to him.



Lee Borden pulled his van into the apartment parking lot and made sure no one was home before he started up the stairs toward the Danko's apartment. He didn't think the phone calls were working as well as he'd hoped. He. of course. had no way of knowing how terrified Jill was, so he decided to up the stakes. He glanced around the empty hallway before using a credit card to jimmy open the Danko's front door. He crept into the kitchen and removed the parcel he was carrying in a brown paper bag.

He smiled as he placed the parcel in a cabinet and closed the door. 'This should do the trick nicely,' he thought to himself with a slight smile, wishing he could see the look on her face when she found it. He crept out of the apartment as quietly as he'd entered and walked back to his van without being noticed. David would be proud.



Jill was straightening up the apartment when Mike walked in. He was still puzzling over his conversation with Terry. Jill seemed fine to him. Sure, she'd been a little jumpy the night before, but he had chalked that up to him sneaking up on her. "Hi. Can we talk for a few minutes?" Mike asked as he walked over and kissed her.

"What's wrong?" Jill asked in surprise.

"I don't know," Mike said with a shrug. "I was hoping maybe you could tell me."

"Mike, what are you talking about?" She asked in a high-pitched voice, knees buckling slightly. She slowly lowered herself onto the couch.

"I saw Terry in the locker room this afternoon," he explained, sitting beside her and studying her closely. "He seemed to think something was bothering you. He didn't say what led him to this brilliant deduction," Mike concluded lightly, waiting for her reaction.

"Neither do I," she lied, blinking rapidly, trying very hard not to cry. "I saw him and Willie at the hospital at lunchtime and I was busy, but I didn't think I was acting strangely," Jill got to her feet quickly and walked into the kitchen, unable to look Mike in the eye. She started pulling food out of the refrigerator.

"Are you sure?" Mike asked her dubiously.

"Of course I'm sure! I don't know what Terry's thinking," Jill protested, slamming things on the counter with more force than necessary.

Mike got up and walked into the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around Jill from behind and lightly kissed her on the neck. "Babe, I'm sorry. Look, let me go over there and see if they're ready to come over. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Jill felt like screaming as she heard the door close behind him. She should have been more convincing! She walked into the bedroom and got her dress out of the closet. She had just enough time to take a shower before Mike and the guys got back. She knew that Mike would be gone for a lot longer than a few minutes. She should have known Terry wouldn't believe her story. She stood under the shower and let the hot water beat down on her. By the time she got out and got dressed, she felt a little better. She was just finishing with her hair when the phone rang. She was sorely tempted not to pick it up.

It rang several times before Jill walked over and picked it up with trembling fingers. "Hello? Who is this?" Jill was getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of response on the other end. "Who are you?"

On the other end of the line, Borden smiled as he heard the fear in Jill's voice. The urge to say something was just too tempting to pass up. "Mary had a little lamb, it's fleece was white as snow, and everywhere that Mary went, that lamb was sure to go. Everywhere." His voice dropped down a notch at the last word, imagining her reaction. He then carefully hung up the phone.

Jill felt like throwing the phone at the wall as she heard the dial tone. She didn't know what was going on, but she wished he'd stop. First the bus stop, then the grocery store and now the phone calls. What next?



Mike was sitting in Terry and Willie's apartment. He decided to talk to them about Jill before the girls got there.

"I talked to Jill like you suggested," Mike told them.

"And?" Terry prompted anxiously.

"She says there's nothing wrong. She doesn't know where you got that idea," Mike replied slowly.

"Do you believe her?" Willie asked quietly.

"I don't know, man," Mike admitted. "She sure is acting strange. I just don't know what it is."

"Well, see..." Terry began, deciding to tell Mike everything Jill had told them that afternoon. He was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.

Willie shrugged his shoulders helplessly at the bad timing, walked over and let the two women in. Marty Stevenson was Terry's date. Willie's date was Linda Powell.

Marty walked over and kissed Terry lightly on the lips. "Hi."

"Hi," Terry looked over at the guys and the two women. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah," Mike sighed, getting to his feet and walked towards the door.



Jill was pacing the apartment trying to think when she heard a commotion outside the front door. Mike walked in, followed by the guys and their dates. Mike took drink orders from everybody and Jill went into the kitchen to bring in the drinks and appetizers. She was putting everything on a tray when she felt something drip onto her hand. She looked down and saw a spot of red liquid dripping from the cabinet directly above her head. She opened the door cautiously. What she saw inside shocked her. Sitting on the shelf was a leg of lamb.

Jill quickly slammed the door and looked toward the living room in a panic. Everybody in the living room was laughing and having a great time, which only made her worse. The guy at the grocery store had asked the butcher for a leg of lamb. She'd distinctly heard him ask for one as she was leaving. He'd been in the apartment! She knew she was going to have to tell Mike now.

She willed her heart rate and breathing to return to normal before picking up the tray and going back into the other room and pretending that everything was normal. She set the tray on the coffee table and sat down beside Mike. She blindly reached for his hand and squeezed it tightly. He looked at her questioningly. Something was definitely bothering her. He decided he'd try to talk to her again after everyone went home.

The company finally left around 1:30. Jill changed into her nightgown and got into bed while Mike walked through the apartment checking the door and turning out the lights. It also gave him time to think of how he was going to approach Jill. She'd been uncharacteristically quiet and edgy all night.

Jill lay facing Mike's side of the bed thinking about how she was going to tell him about the events of the past few days. She heard his footsteps as he approached the bedroom doorway.

"Mike?" She began in a quavering voice.

"Yeah?" Mike said neutrally, coming into the bedroom.

"Did you buy anything from the market today?" She didn't think for a minute that he'd do such a ridiculous thing but she wanted to double check to be on the safe side.

"Uh-uh." Mike denied, puzzled. He was trying to figure out what she was getting at.

"This might sound crazy to you, but -" Jill froze as she heard the phone ring. She sat halfway up in bed and looked toward Mike, wide eyed. Her heart began to pound in her ears.

Mike looked at his watch as he walked toward the phone. "Who can that be?" He complained. "It's two o'clock in the morning," He walked over and picked up the phone. "Hello? Hello? Is anybody there? Oh, brother," Mike muttered, thoroughly annoyed. "Hello?"

Jill lay back down and closed her eyes, tears silently sliding down her face

Mike slammed the telephone down and went back into the bedroom.

Just as he reached the bed, Jill sat up and reached her arms out to him. "Mike!"

"Baby, what is it?" He asked in alarm, hurrying to her side and sitting on the bed beside her, gathering her in his arms.

"Mike, oh, Mike, he's following me!" Jill sobbed into his chest.

"Who's following you?" Mike asked in confusion.

"I don't know who he is, but he's always there! I've seen him!" Jill told him between sobs.

"Who?" Mike couldn't figure out what the hell she was talking about. Nothing she was saying made any sense.

"Mike, I don't know who, but he's always there! I don't know who he is!" She explained pleadingly, almost hysterical. She knew she wasn't making any sense but she couldn't help it. She could see the confusion written all over his face.

"Take it slow, baby, because you're going too fast for me," he pleaded, trying to get her to calm down and needing some time to figure out what was going on. "I don't understand what you're talking about. Who is?" Everything was happening so fast that he couldn't think.

Jill cupped his face with her hands and stared into his eyes, desperately trying to make him understand. "Listen, listen. I come into the apartment and the phone starts to ring, only nobody answers, or sometimes he'll whistle a nursery rhyme song, and I think he's been in here."

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked her, totally confused.

"Mike, there's a leg of lamb, in the kitchen, in the cabinet and that's what he bought at the grocery store the other day!" Jill dissolved into tears again.

"Babe, that could have been a mix-up -" Mike told her, gently pulling her against his chest again and rubbing her back.

"Mike, no!" She leaned her forehead against his, trying to get herself together. "Mike, please believe me."

"Shh!" He soothed, trying to get her to calm down. "What does he look like?"

"What? I don't know what he looks like. I've never seen his face. He wears a hat and he wears dark glasses with silver rims," she started crying again, knowing how ridiculous she sounded. This was worse than she'd thought possible. "I don't know what he looks like." The telephone rang again and she jumped in terror. "Oh, God, no!"

"Look, you answer it this time," Mike advised her, reluctantly pulling her out of his embrace.

"No!" Jill shook her head violently, petrified.

"You've got to, because if he hears me, he's gonna clam up!" Mike pleaded. This was the only way he could think of to find out just what was going on.

"No, Mike! No!" Jill was still shaking her head.

"You've got to!" He insisted firmly. He stood up, pulled the covers back and helped her to her feet. "Come on."

Mike threw the blankets back and took Jill's hand as she reluctantly got out of bed. She forced herself to stand when her knees started to buckle. He slipped his arm around her waist as they walked toward the living room. He felt sick, because he had a feeling that the man following her was Dave Borden's brother, Lee, the same man who Mike suspected had spoken to Mike that day in the courtroom. The man Mike suspected to be the other suspect in the warehouse burglary. Mike followed Jill as she walked toward the phone.

She took a deep breath as she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Oh, hi, Jill. It's me. Sorry to call so late, but -" Terry's cheerful sounding voice came over the line.

Jill threw the receiver to the floor, buried her head in her arms and began sobbing again.

"Who is this?" Mike demanded furiously after snatching the telephone from the floor.

Terry was taken aback by the tone of Mike's voice. "Hey, man. It's me."

"What do you want?" Mike asked, calming down slightly.

"Well, Marty just wanted to know if she left her compact over there," Terry said, as he glanced over at Willie with a puzzled expression on his face.

"I don't know, man. Look, if I find it, I'll bring it to you tomorrow. Okay?" Mike said impatiently.

"Yeah, well, okay. Thanks," Terry slowly put the phone back on the hook as he again looked over at Willie. "That was a strange conversation."

"How so?" Willie asked.

"They both seemed upset about something."

"Well, maybe Mike asked her about earlier. Remember?"

"I don't know. Now that I think about it, she was preoccupied when we were there tonight. Didn't you notice?" Terry asked.

"Not really, but then I was paying more attention to Linda then to Jill," Willie said with a smile.

Mike held Jill tightly in his arms all night. Several times, she broke down in tears. Finally, she fell into a restless sleep shortly before the alarm went off. Mike, on the other hand, didn't sleep at all. He was trying to think of what he was going to do. As a cop, he knew his hands were tied. This wasn't like when Jill was being harassed by Cleve. The jangling of the alarm startled him. He shut it off and tried to ease out of bed without waking Jill up, but she stirred and jolted awake when she felt Mike get up.

"I'll make the coffee," she offered as she untangled herself from the bed covers.

"No, that's okay. I'm running late. Why don't you lay down and try to go back to sleep? I'm riding with Terry today and Terry doesn't wait for anybody."

"Do you think Terry'll say anything about last night?" Jill asked hesitantly.

"Probably, but don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything," Mike said, trying to reassure her as well as himself.

After just one night with little sleep, the dark circles had already reappeared under Jill's eyes. Mike hadn't seen those circles in ages. He sat back down on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms. She clung to him and began to cry.

"Shh! It's going to be okay. I know you're scared, but it's going to be okay. I have to get in the shower. Try to go back to sleep," Mike said as he gently kissed her on the forehead.

Jill lay down after Mike went into the bathroom. After a few minutes she got up, went into the kitchen and made coffee. She was drinking a cup when the doorbell rang. She went to the door and opened it, letting Terry in.

"Hi. I'm riding with Mike this morning. Is he ready?" Terry asked neutrally, shocked at her appearance.

"He'll be out in a few minutes. Do you want some coffee?" Jill asked tonelessly.

"No, thanks," Terry declined as he sat down on a barstool.

"Terry, why did you go to Mike yesterday?"

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jill hissed at him angrily.

"We'll talk later," Terry said as Mike walked into the room.

"I don't think so," Jill whispered back.

"Hey, Mike? Are you about ready to roll?" Terry asked.

"Go unlock my car. I'll be down in a minute," Mike said as he tossed Terry his car keys.

"Okay."

Mike waited until Terry walked out the door before he pulled Jill back into his arms. She clung to him tightly, shaking violently.

"Look, you have the day off, so I want you to just relax and take it easy. I'll call you around lunchtime and I should be home around 5:30 or so. Maybe we can go have dinner," Mike told her as he looked down into her eyes.

"Mike, are you going to arrest him?" Jill asked in a trembling voice.

"I'm going to see what I can do. I'll see you this evening," Mike said as he kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied, as she kissed him back.


When they got to the precinct, Mike went over to Central Booking and pulled David Borden's arrest ticket, which included his brother's name and work address. Terry walked in as Mike was memorizing the information on the card.

"Hi, are you ready to roll?" Terry asked.

"Yeah, I'll drive," Mike said as he followed Terry out of the door.

Mike drove out to Borden's place of business and parked behind his gray van. He sat there waiting for Borden to come out. He didn't know what he was going to say to him once he confronted him. His mind was on Jill.

Terry sat there, watching his friend, wondering what was going on. Neither man had spoken since leaving the precinct, unusual for both men, because they always had something to talk about. Terry decided to try to break the ice.

"You know, I think the reason why they put us in cars is so we can move from place to place. They call it patrol," Terry said, trying to make a joke of things.

"Yeah, we'll take up in little bit, okay?" Mike replied in a tight voice.

"Well, at least when I'm partnered with Willie -" Terry started to say.

"Well, you're not partnered with Willie, okay?" Mike interrupted angrily.

Terry was shocked by Mike's outburst. "Is something bothering you, Mike? I mean, is there something I can do?"

Mike suddenly sat up straighter as he saw Borden walk out of his business and head for the van. Mike opened his car door. "Mind the radio. I'll be back in a second."

"Yeah, anything you say," Terry said sarcastically.

Mike approached Borden's van cautiously as Borden was getting into the driver's side. Mike examined the van carefully before approaching the driver's side. Borden was surprised to see him. Mike spotted the sunglasses hanging from the rear view mirror.

"Pardon me? I'd like to talk to you for a minute," Mike said.

"Yes, officer. What can I do for you?" Borden replied pleasantly.

"Yeah. You've got a broken taillight. You could get yourself into trouble. Somebody might not see that and smash into you in the dark," Mike said as he wrote a citation.

"Well, that's mighty nice of you to tell me, officer," Borden said, doing his best not to grin. "Thanks a lot. I'll take care of it right away," Borden said, as he watched Mike.

"That's a nice pair of sunglasses you've got there," Mike remarked darkly.

"Well, I really wouldn't know, sir, because a friend of mine wears them. Thanks again. Is it okay if I go now?" Borden asked.

"Watch yourself," Mike said in a tight voice.

"I will. I'll be just as careful as I can," Borden said as he started the van and drove off.

Borden knew that Danko's wife must have said something, so he decided he would have to raise the stakes just a bit.

Mike, on the other hand, wanted to reach through the window and pull Borden out by the throat, but he knew that wouldn't do anyone much good. He walked back to the squad car and got in.

Terry looked at him curiously. "What was that all about?"

"I was just letting the man know he could be in trouble. He had a smashed taillight," Mike said as he started the car.

"You mean, we sat here for over half an hour just so you could issue a warning?" Terry asked, now truly puzzled.

"That's right," Mike said, giving Terry a look that brooked no further argument.



Jill was folding the laundry when the doorbell rang. She opened it after looking through the peep hole and seeing Willie.

"Hi. Are you okay? Terry said you sounded upset last night when he called," Willie said as he walked into the apartment.

"I'm okay," Jill lied, returning to her laundry.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go have lunch or something."

"I don't think so, Willie. I have a lot of stuff to do and Mike's going to call pretty soon," Jill seemed anxious to get rid of him.

"Look, if you need anything, I'll be next door. Okay?" Willie said, taking the hint as he opened the door to leave.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later. Bye, Willie." Jill shut the door and went to sit down just as the phone rang. She picked it up with trembling hands. "Hello?"

"Hi, babe," Mike's voice came over the other end of the line.

"Hi," Jill sighed in relief.

"Are you okay?" He asked anxiously. "Has he called?"

"No, it's been quiet. Willie was just here. He wanted to know if everything was alright."

"Yeah, my behavior's been pretty suspicious this morning. I'm afraid Terry's going to go to Ryker if I'm not careful. I just wanted to check and see if you were okay. I'll be home sometime between 5:30 and 6. I love you," Mike said.

"I love you, too. I'll see you later," Jill said as she hung up the phone.



Lt. Ryker was in his office that afternoon when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in!"

"Can I talk to you for a minute, sir?" Terry asked hesitantly, sticking his head in the door.

"Come in," Ryker said, waving Terry into the room. "What's on your mind, Webster?"

"I'm concerned about Mike," Terry said, deciding to just spit it out.

"Why? What has he done?" Ryker asked, removing his glasses.

"It's not what he's done, sir. I can't explain any better than that. We were partnered together today. He parked behind a van for half an hour just so he could give the guy a citation for having a broken taillight," Terry explained.

"Did he give any reason why he did that?" Ryker asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. It certainly WAS atypical behavior.

"No, sir. I asked him, but he didn't give me any explanation. I think there's something on his mind, but he won't talk about it."

"I see, and I suppose you want me to talk to him," Ryker concluded.

"I think somebody needs to, sir. He won't talk to me," Terry said quietly.

"Okay, Webster. I'll see what I can do. Is that all?" Ryker asked in a dismissive voice.

"Yes, sir," Terry said as he got to his feet.



It was almost dark as Mike and Terry headed for home. Terry was concerned about his friend, but wasn't sure how to go about asking him what the trouble was.

"Did you talk to Jill last night?" Terry asked.

"Yeah, I talked to her," Mike replied tersely.

"What did she say?" Terry probed.

"She didn't say anything. She said you guys came by the hospital at lunchtime and she was busy, but that was it," Mike didn't want to get into what was going on with Jill.

"Mike, did she tell you that she called me the day before and asked us to come to the hospital? I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but I'm just trying to help -" Terry began.

"I don't want your help and I didn't ask for your help. I am dealing with whatever is going on with Jill just fine," Mike said firmly, letting Terry know in uncertain terms that the discussion was over.



Jill was sitting on the couch reading a magazine waiting for Mike to get home. She got up and turned a lamp on in the darkened room. She was quietly reading when the lights in the apartment suddenly went out. She got up, went into the kitchen and flipped the main light switch up and down several times. Then she tried the kitchen light, as well. Nothing happened. She picked up the kitchen phone to call Willie, hoping he could fix the loose wire or whatever the problem was. When she tried dialing, the phone was dead. She walked into the living room and tried the phone in there. It was also dead. She walked over to the sliding glass doors and pulled the curtain back to see if the power was out in the complex. She saw other lights shining. As she was standing there, she heard footsteps approaching the apartment. Then, she heard the sound of the doorknob being turned. She quickly walked over and turned the dead bolt lock, then she tried to slide the safety chain on the door with shaking hands. She was shaking so badly that the chain slipped out of her grasp. She began backing into the living room as she heard the dead bolt lock turning. She abruptly backed into an end table and sent the contents of the table crashing to the floor. She started screaming as Mike walked into the room.

"Don't! Don't! Leave me alone!" Jill screamed in fear.

Mike ran over and pulled her trembling body into his arms. "Baby, what is it?"

"Mike, oh, Mike!" Jill sobbed hysterically.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know! The lights are all out and the phone doesn't work and I can't take it!" Jill continued sobbing.

"Shh!" Mike sat her down in a chair. "It'll be okay."

Mike put the table upright and put the lamp and the phone back on it. He picked up the phone and listened. He handed the phone to Jill, who heard the sound of the dial tone even before she held it to her ear.

"Mike -" Jill began.

Mike stood up and walked over to the wall switch and flipped it. The lights came on in the apartment. He stood there for a minute, not knowing what to think. Jill sat in the chair watching him. She was afraid he wasn't going to believe her. If she were him, she wouldn't believe any of this, either. Mike rubbed a hand over his weary eyes and looked over at her.

"Mike, please believe me," Jill said in a pleading voice.

"I do, baby," Mike said, as he walked over and knelt down in front of her.

Mike was afraid Willie and Terry were going to come running over after Jill's outburst. He knew they had to have heard it. Terry had asked a ton of questions when they were coming home. Mike knew if this continued, he was going to have to tell them something. He was too far out of his depth and was seriously thinking about discussing this with Lt. Ryker. Maybe there was a way they could bring Borden in for questioning. Mike went into the kitchen and poured them both a brandy. Jill had walked over to the sofa and was trying hard to get a grip on her emotions.

"Here, drink this. It'll help you relax," Mike said, handing her one of the snifters.

"Did you say anything to the guys?" Jill asked, leaning heavily against his shoulder.

"No, I haven't said anything to them, yet. Do you want me to?" He asked, stroking her hair.

"I don't know. Do they suspect anything?"

"Yeah. Terry was asking me a lot of questions today. I think I'm going to go talk to Lt. Ryker tomorrow. I don't have a choice. If I don't, then Terry is probably going to go to him and tell him that I've flipped."

Jill had moved so that she was lying across Mike's lap. She put both arms around his waist and clung to him tightly. She was very sleepy, but she was afraid to go to sleep. Every time she had slept in the last several nights, she had woke up with nightmares.

Mike cradled her in his arms. "You want to try to go to sleep?" He whispered in her ear.

"No, but I think I am going to take a hot bubble bath. Maybe that'll help me relax so I can sleep," Jill looked at him with a smile.

"Okay," he said as he kissed her.

Jill lay in a tub full of bubbles and tried to relax, but the tears kept coming. She had been so scared that evening before Mike had come home. The lights going out and then the phone being dead had terrified her. She had been so sure that the guy was going to come into the apartment and attack her. She still wondered who he was and what he wanted with her. She closed her eyes to try to relax. When she opened them and looked over, Mike was sitting on the floor beside the bathtub.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he leaned over and gently kissed her.

"Mike, I'm so scared!" She said as she started to cry again.

"I know," he said as he held a towel out to her. "Come on, let's go to bed and try to get some sleep. I think we could both use some."


The next afternoon Mike went to see Lt. Ryker before he got off duty. The night before had been like all the other nights since this whole thing had started. Neither him or Jill had gotten much sleep. Jill wouldn't sleep more than 20 or 30 minutes at a time and every time she woke up, Mike would wake up. He had told her he would pick her up at work that afternoon. He didn't want her riding the bus if it could be avoided. He didn't know where or when Borden would strike again.

"Sir, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mike asked nervously, walking into Ryker's office.

"What is it, Danko?" Ryker asked, impatiently.

"Officers Gillis, Webster and I answered a call for a warehouse burglary a couple of weeks ago."

"I remember. One of the suspects got away. We still haven't been able to locate him."

"Sir, I think it's David Borden's brother. I think he's been harassing Jill. She's been getting phone calls and we think he's broken into our apartment. I think he didn't like my testimony at his brother's arraignment. His brother faces mandatory life in prison if he's convicted. I was wondering if there's any way we could pick Borden up for questioning. I have a business address and a home address on him," Mike said.

Ryker sat at his desk watching Mike. He knew how Mike had to feel, especially if what he was saying was true, but Ryker also knew there was no legal way they could pick Borden up, not without proof or probable cause.

"Not only is the answer no, but I'm a little disappointed that you even asked the question," Ryker told him.

"What am I supposed to do? Just roll over and play dead?" Mike demanded.

"No, but you should know that realistically there's not very much anybody can do," Ryker explained regretfully.

"All right, suppose I tap my phone? I put a trace on it for when he calls next time," Mike said desperately, pacing the room. There had to be SOMETHING he could do.

"One, you're going to be tracing through to a pay phone and two, if it is Borden, he's been doing a lot more than using your phone. He's been following Jill around... apparently he broke into the apartment," Ryker said, trying to reason with the distraught officer.

"Right! What about that?" Mike exclaimed eagerly. Surely that had to be grounds to bring Borden in. "Are you going to call that legal?"

"But you've got no proof. No proof that'll hold up in court. You'll never even get an indictment," Ryker said in a quiet voice.

"All right." Fine. No one else would do anything. He'd just do it alone. He was going to put a stop to this one way or the other. "I'll tail the guy until I -"

"Until you get accused of harassment," Ryker interrupted angrily, "and the case against Borden's brother will be thrown out of court and he will have accomplished just exactly what he's set out to accomplish!"

Mike looked at his watch and started to walk back to the door. "I'm off duty. I have to pick Jill up at the hospital."

"Danko?"

Mike turned around in the doorway.

"Mike, if you were a guy with a regular job, you'd go up to Borden, punch him in the nose, he'd charge you with battery," Ryker explained sympathetically. "Being your first offense, you'd probably get off with probation. Then, maybe, just maybe, Borden would leave your wife alone. But, you don't have a regular job. You are a professional law enforcement officer! If you start to forget that, you'd be off the force!" Ryker said, slamming his hand down on his desk for emphasis.'

"Maybe I could do her a little more good if I was off the force! Tell me, lieutenant, where does a cop go when he needs help, huh? What does he do?" Mike snapped.

"You just tough it out. Tell your wife you love her, take her out to dinner tonight," Ryker suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

"That's not gonna cure anything," Mike said petulantly.

"Fear is not something you cure, Danko. It's something you learn to live with. Take the girl out to dinner."

"Is that an order?" Mike asked.

"No, but I can make it one," Ryker said with a slight smile.

"Right," Mike said, walking out of the door.

As soon as Mike walked out the door, Lt. Ryker walked over to the phone. He told Sgt. Older that he wanted to see Willie and Terry as soon as they arrived back at the precinct.


Willie and Terry walked back into the precinct about 45 minutes later. They were walking by Sgt. Older's office when Older waved them to come inside. The two men walked into the room cautiously.

"Is something wrong, sir?" Terry asked hesitantly.

"The lieutenant wants to see you two. Right now," Older said as he pointed at Ryker's closed door.

Terry approached the door and tentatively knocked on it. They heard a muffled 'Come!' from behind it. Ryker was sitting at his desk working on paperwork when they walked in.

"You wanted to see us, sir?" Terry said as him and Willie stood at attention in front of Ryker's desk.

"I did," Ryker replied, looking up. "Danko came in to see me earlier. He told me that he thinks the second suspect from that warehouse burglary a couple of weeks ago is harassing his wife."

Terry took a deep breath. Now things were starting to make more sense. "Sir, we thought something might be wrong. Mike and Jill have both been acting a little strange the last several days."

"Watch him carefully, because he wants to take the law into his own hands. I can't say that I blame him, but I can't allow vigilante justice," Ryker instructed, removing his glasses and looking pointedly at Terry and Willie. "Talk to him, let him know that you want to help, but also let him know that he has to let justice prevail. I'll let the detectives in Bunco know what's going on. Maybe they can keep an eye on Borden."

When Ryker went back to his paperwork, the guys knew the conversation was over. They left his office and went to the locker room to change clothes. Terry sat on the bench pensively tying his shoes.

"Willie, let's stop over at Mike and Jill's on the way home. Maybe now that we know what's going on, maybe we can help."

"Sounds good to me. Maybe we can take a couple of six packs over."

"Well, you'll have to buy, because I'm busted," Terry said with a smile.


Mike was standing in the parking garage waiting for Jill to come out of the hospital. He was thinking about his conversation with Lt. Ryker when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs leading to the garage. He walked around the post he had been leaning against just as Jill came into the garage. She stood there watching him with huge, frightened brown eyes.

"Carriage waits yonder. Would you - would you tell Yonder it's here," he said nervously. He didn't know HOW he was going to tell her that he couldn't do anything and that his hands were tied.

"You nut," Jill laughed affectionately.

"That's better," Mike said, as his smile widened.

He held his arms out as Jill gratefully stepped into them. She buried her face into his shoulder as Mike held her tightly.

"Oh, baby," he said as he held her tightly against him. He finally pulled her back and smiled at her. "It's good to have you back."

"Yeah, well, it's good to be back," she said as she kissed him.

"It seems a shame to waste the evening. Why don't we go for paella at Sebastian's?"

"Okay, why don't we go for paella at Sebastian's?"

"Come on, honey," he said, taking her hand firmly in his.

Lee Borden sat in his van, watching as the couple started walking toward the car. They were halfway to the car when they heard whistling. Mike slowed down and started scanning the garage. It was hard to tell where the whistling was coming from, since the nearly empty garage created an echo effect. After a few minutes, the whistling stopped, but as soon as it did, they heard a car engine start up. Mike looked as a gray van started barreling toward the two of them. Mike shoved Jill behind a pillar and dove right behind her as the van sped past, barely missing them both. They were both badly shook up, but fortunately, they weren't hurt.

After taking several minutes to recover, Mike drove them both home. While Jill went to take a shower, Mike called Ryker and told him what had happened.

"Lieutenant, this is Danko. Sir, I think Borden just tried to run us down in the parking garage at the hospital," Mike said, keeping his voice down.

"Are you both okay?" Ryker demanded in concern.

"Yes, sir. We're shook up, but we're okay," Mike told him.

"Danko, I told Gillis and Webster what you told me. I hope you don't mind."

"No, sir. I was going to tell them myself, but Jill wanted me to wait. I'm going to go. Jill's in the shower right now and I don't want her any more upset than she already is. I'll see you tomorrow, sir," Mike said, looking toward the closed bathroom door.

"Okay. Take care of Jill and yourself, Danko," Ryker said.

"Yes, sir. That's what I intend to do. Good night," Mike said, hanging up the phone.

Just as he hung up, the bathroom door opened and Jill stepped out. He pulled the blankets back and helped her get settled into bed. He leaned over and gently kissed her on the shoulder just as the doorbell began repeatedly ringing. Jill looked at him with terror in her eyes.

"Open up, man! It's the police!" Terry's voice called.

"I'm okay. You go on," Jill told him, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Are you sure?" Mike asked, concern written all over his face.

"I'm sure," she said, nodding.

Mike stood up and turned the lamp off beside Jill's bed before walking out of the bedroom and pulling the door partially closed. He walked over and answered the door, letting in Willie and Terry. Willie held up a six pack of beer by the plastic rings.

"Hey!" Mike said as he closed the door.

"Hey, Danko! We spotted you coming in and you looked like you could use a little something," Willie exclaimed as he held up the beer.

"I could use a beer. I could also use the company. Come on in. I'll get some glasses," Mike said, as he walked to the kitchen.

"No, no, man. Cans will do," Terry stopped him, as he removed three cans from the plastic rings.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Mike said, returning to the living room.

"Here," Willie said, handing Mike a beer.

"Thanks, man," Mike said, opening the can.

Willie and Terry sat on the sofa as Mike continued standing. Terry looked at Willie and wondered how he was going to say what he had to say.

"I gotta tell you something. I...I called Ryker and told him that you had been a little bugged the day that we drove together," Terry began, taking a swallow of his drink.

"Yeah? What did he say?" Mike asked suspiciously, looking at his friends.

"He wasn't surprised," Terry said.

"Hey, Mike? Share it with us. Maybe...maybe we can help," Willie suggested.

"Yeah, I guess maybe you can. Well, you remember that burglary call we took on that office supply warehouse a couple of Sundays ago?" Mike started.

"Yeah," Terry replied.

"Well, it seems that Dave Borden's brother has started calling Jill. He's been trailing her. I think what he wants is for me to change my testimony. It's pretty hard to figure that a 459 can foul up your whole life. It's really been rough on...on Jill. It's pretty bad for me as a cop, because I know it would stop if I told the freak I would change my testimony at his brother's trial. Oh, man. I don't know! I haven't been able to sleep thinking about it. Why not let the ape go free! Let him rob a million warehouses! I don't care what he does when I see that look in Jill's eyes!" Mike said as he paced the room.

"Mike, you can't hang yourself for what you think about doing," Terry said, as he tried to console his friend.

"Yeah, you're not a machine. You can't bust yourself for not knowing what to do," Willie added.

"Mike, you're not a lot of things. It's just human. That's all a cop is, should be, is human. Good human, sometimes. Sometimes, bad human. You can't expect yourself to not want to get out sometimes," Terry said.

"I hear you, man. And you're right. It's just that I've got to figure it out for myself. I can't let anything mess up what I've got going with Jill," Mike said, letting his eyes wander over to the door.

Jill was lying in bed, listening to the three men talk. She had been wondering if Mike had known who the guy was. If all Mike had to do was change his testimony for this to stop then it sounded easy enough to her. She had no way of knowing just how wrong she was. She slowly got out of bed, put her robe on and walked into the other room.

"Mike?" Jill stopped as three pairs of eyes turned her way. "Would you change your testimony?"

Mike paced around the apartment for a few minutes before he answered her honestly, hoping to have avoided that particular question. "I don't know."

The guys left a short time later. They didn't want to get Jill more upset by talking about what was going on. When they left, Mike sat down on the sofa and motioned for Jill to sit down beside him.

"Baby, I know you want this to stop and believe me, so do I," he said, grasping her hands firmly in both of his. "But, I don't think changing my testimony is going to accomplish that. This guy, Borden, is enjoying this game too much. I know that sounds sick, but I've seen his type before. We're trying to get enough evidence together to pick him up. If that fails, we hope his brother will give him up as an accomplice in the warehouse burglary. That'll at least get him off of the street."

"Mike, I don't know how much more of this I can take. I don't want to start having panic attacks again," Jill whispered fearfully.

"I know. We're trying to put a stop to it. Just try to be patient. Just for a little while longer. Okay?" He pulled her closer and kissed her.

She nodded as she buried her head in his shoulder.


The next day, Mike had to testify at the first day of David Borden's trial. While sitting on the stand, he spotted Lee Borden sitting at the back of the courtroom, wearing his signature dark glasses.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you, God?" The clerk asked, as he swore Mike in.

"I do," Mike vowed, keeping a wary eye on Borden.

"Please take the stand," the clerk instructed.

"Will you please state your full name?" the D.A. said, as he approached the stand.

"Michael Jonathan Danko."

"You are an officer in the city police department?"

"Yes, sir."

"Officer Danko, will you please tell the court the events that led to your apprehension and arrest of David Borden on the 14th of last month."

"I was on patrol when dispatch called my unit to report a possible 459," Mike said in a flat voice.

"What is a 459?" the D.A asked.

"That's a burglary."

"And when you got to the warehouse, what happened then?"

"I observed two suspects leaving the warehouse. I pursued one of them, a second unit followed the other."

"You caught the man that you were following?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is he in this courtroom?"

"Yes, sir," Mike pointed at the defense council's table. "Seated at the defense council's table."

"The record will show that the witness is pointing to David Borden, the defendant," He looked toward Borden's attorney. "Your witness."

The defense attorney stood up and approached the stand. "Officer Danko, can you describe the area in question?"

"How do you mean, sir?" Mike asked, confused.

"Isn't it full of alleyways and side streets? An easy part of town to get lost in?"

"Yes, sir. I guess so."

"Isn't it possible in all the turning and confusion in chasing this figure that you maintain you saw, that you lost track of him for a second or two, that you then started chasing a second man. That David Borden is that second man."

"I didn't lose sight of him during the chase, sir," Mike said tightly.

"Not even for a second," the defense attorney scoffed incredulously, trying desperately to sway Mike's testimony.

"No, sir." Mike answered firmly, shaking his head. "No, I don't believe so."

"You don't believe so? Believe? Then the possibility does exist that you lost sight of the suspect for one second? The possibility does exist, doesn't it, Officer Danko?"

Up to that point, Mike had seriously contemplated committing perjury. It was only after that question that he knew he had to tell the truth. He looked toward the back of the courtroom where Lee Borden was anxiously awaiting his answer. Mike took a deep breath. He figured after this was all over and he got off duty, he would pick Jill up and take her somewhere, anywhere, until someone could get Borden picked up.

"No, sir. I don't believe that's the case. It was Dave Borden I saw coming out of that warehouse, it was Dave Borden I pursued and it was Dave Borden that I apprehended."

Lee Borden got up from his seat and walked to the closed door of the courtroom. He looked over toward Mike as if to let him know that the game playing was now over. Mike was worried, but there wasn't anything he could do about that now. He figured that Jill was safe as long as she remained at the hospital around people.



Borden walked over to a pay phone and dialed the hospital. He then asked to talk to Jill. He was hoping Jill wouldn't recognize his voice. If she did, his plan would never work. He needed Jill to get to Mike. He heard Jill's voice come on the line.

"Yeah, this is Mrs. Danko," Jill answered breathlessly.

"This is Officer Stallings, Mrs. Danko. I hate to tell you, but Mike's had a bad accident. His patrol had a head-on after he went back on duty from court," Borden was almost crossing his fingers as he said this. He had been rehearsing this for days.

"Where is he?" Jill asked anxiously.

"The corner of James and Bean. The ambulance is on its way," Borden said as he smiled.

Jill tried to calculate how far away that was. Mike had let her keep the car since he had to be in court. "I'll be there in five minutes," she promised, hanging up the phone.

"And I'll be waiting for you, Mrs. Danko," he whispered, grinning as he replaced the receiver.

CHAPTER FOUR: END GAME

Mike returned to the precinct shortly after noon. Borden had called and left a message for Mike to call him.

Sgt. Older called out to Mike as he walked by. "Danko! Somebody called you, left this number, said it was important!"

"Did they leave a name?" Mike asked, scanning the message.

"Nope."

"Okay, thank you," Mike said, as he walked toward the weight room, where the pay phone was located.

Terry and Willie were throwing a medicine ball back and forth when Mike walked in and headed toward the phone.

"Hey, Mike!" Terry yelled as Mike walked by.

"Hey, Mike! Did you get things wrapped up at the trial?" Willie asked him.

"I'm not sure, yet," Mike said as he dropped money into the pay phone.



Borden was standing outside the phone booth with a now very terrified Jill when the phone rang. He smiled over at Jill. "I bet that's your husband right now. I just love punctuality, don't you?" He picked up the phone. "Hello, Officer Danko!"

Mike felt his blood turn to ice. "What do you want?"

"It's not what I want, Officer Danko. It's what you want."

Mike couldn't hear anything over the noise in the room and the pounding in his ears. He covered the mouthpiece of the phone with one hand. "Hey, knock it off, will ya?" The room fell into immediate silence. "Yeah, go on."

"Sorry to hear about your accident. Mrs. Danko got word that you had a bad accident after you left court. It really upset her. She came runnin'. She's right here with me, waiting for you, Officer Danko."

"Where?" Mike asked in a tight voice. If he so much as touched one hair on her head -

"Angeles Speedway," Borden said, hanging up the phone.

Willie and Terry came walking over as Mike hung up the receiver, put another dime in the coin slot and started dialing. They were wondering what the hell was going on.

"Second floor desk, please," Mike said, saying a silent prayer that Borden's threat was an empty one.

"Second floor, Mrs. Schaffer. May I help you?" A woman's voice came over the phone.

"May I speak to Jill Danko, please?" Mike asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"No, I'm sorry. Mrs. Danko's husband was in a traffic accident. She left the hospital grounds nearly an hour ago," Mrs. Schaffer replied pleasantly.

"Thank you," Mike said, trying not to panic as he slammed the phone down and ran past a startled Willie and Terry.

"Hey, Mike!" Terry yelled as Mike ran out the door.

"What do you think?" Willie asked him.

"I don't know, but I think we ought to talk to Lt. Ryker, huh?" Terry said as he led the way out the door toward Ryker's office.

Ryker was in Sgt. Older's office when Willie and Terry came running in, both talking at once.

"One at a time! I can't understand anything you're saying!" Ryker exclaimed in frustration, holding up his hand.

"Mike was talking to someone on the phone. He hung up and called the hospital to talk to Jill. I don't know what was said, but he ran out of the room like a bat out of hell," Terry told Ryker breathlessly.

"Let's go see if we can get him on the radio," Ryker told the two men as they walked out of the office with Sgt. Older.

The four men walked into the dispatcher's office. Ryker was just hoping Mike wasn't about to do something crazy.

"What's Danko's unit number?" Ryker asked the dispatcher.

"Ludlow 7," he replied.

Lt. Ryker picked up the dispatcher's microphone and pressed the transmit button. "Ludlow 7, this is Ryker! What is your position? Ludlow 7, what is your position? Ludlow 7, do you hear me?"

"It's supposed to be 'do you read me,'" the dispatcher told him helpfully.

"It'll be exactly what I say it's supposed to be," Ryker informed him loftily, glaring at him. "Ludlow 7, do you read me? All right, I want all units to clear this channel until otherwise notified! Ludlow 7, do you read me?"

Ryker looked over at Willie and Terry. "All right, anybody got any bright ideas?"

"His name isn't Ludlow 7, it's Mike," Terry told Ryker rapidly as Sgt. Older and the dispatcher bit back smiles.

Ryker once again keyed the microphone and tried a different approach. "Mike, this is not a one man job. Believe me, more cops have been killed this way than Dillinger ever dreamed of. I know how you feel, but this won't accomplish what you want it to accomplish. You're going about this the wrong way! Now, maybe Borden wants to kill her, but why do you have to help him?" He didn't know what he'd do if this didn't work.

"The Angeles Speedway!" Mike's tension filled voice finally answered after a few agonizing seconds. "He's got her at the Angeles Speedway! But you'd better hurry, man, because I'm not going to guarantee a thing!"

"All units, code three!" Ryker yelled at the dispatcher as he ran out the door with Willie and Terry.


As Mike was driving toward the speedway, he wanted to kick himself. He couldn't believe that he'd been so stupid! He thought Borden would show up like he had the night before. He never dreamed in a million years that Borden would somehow use him to lure Jill away from the hospital. Mike knew now that he was Borden's primary target and had been all along. Borden had just been using Jill as a pawn to get to him.

When Mike arrived at the speedway, it was eerily quiet. He was looking around when he suddenly heard an engine start up. Borden came roaring out in one of the stock cars with Jill in the passenger seat. Mike got in his car and gave chase. He could see how terrified Jill was. Borden kept bashing the passenger side of the car into the driver's side of Mike's car. Mike finally managed to pull away and get behind Borden's car.

Borden stopped his car across the track from Mike's car. Mike got out of his car to see what his next move was going to be. Borden suddenly gunned his engine and drove straight for Mike, who dove out of the way as the bumper of the car grazed across his knee. After several attempts, Mike finally managed to get back on his feet. Suddenly, he heard the most blessed sound in the world...the sound of police sirens. Several police cars roared onto the race track and gave chase to Borden's car. Borden stopped his car across the track and the cops got out of their cars and opened fire. Mike stood up and waved his arms.

"Don't! Don't!" Mike yelled desperately, waving his arms for them to stop shooting. He had this horrific thought that a stray bullet would hit Jill.

"Hold your fire!" Ryker yelled at the men.

The car had sputtered to a halt. Ryker, Older, Terry and Willie ran over to it. Ryker and Older pulled Borden from the driver's side, while Terry lifted a shaken Jill from the passenger side.

"Mike, Mike!" Jill was crying as Terry and Willie helped her to the ground.

"It's okay," Terry assured her, turning her to where Mike was slowly limping across the ground.

"Where is he? Where -" she stopped as she finally spotted Mike.

Jill walked over to him and he grabbed her into his arms as tightly as he could. Ryker and Older were cuffing Borden, who gave Mike a venomous look as he was led to the squad car.

Willie took Mike's squad car back to the precinct while Jill took Mike in their car over to the hospital to have his knee looked at. He was stitched up and bandaged, given painkillers and told to stay off his leg for several days.

The first day they were home all they did was sleep. When Mike finally woke up several hours later the apartment was dark. He glanced at the clock by the bed and was shocked to see that it was two in the morning.

Jill was curled up in a tight ball on her side of the bed, looking at peace for the first time in days.

Mike moved closer to her and tenderly brushed her hair off of her face.

She stirred and opened eyes still glazed with sleep. She smiled as she looked at Mike. "Hi," she whispered sleepily.

"Hi," he grinned, leaning down and kissing her.

"Are you okay? Do you need something for your knee?" She asked in concern, sitting up and turning the light on.

"Oh, I need something, but not for my knee," he said in a husky voice as he continued kissing and caressing her neck.

"Oh, I see," she sighed, smiling faintly.

"I missed you," he whispered as he pulled her into his arms.

Jill lay in Mike's arms afterward, listening to his heart beating in her ear. She looked up at him. "You know what I need?" She asked him with a smile.

"Sorry, babe. I'm all worn out," he apologized, hugging her tighter to his chest.

"Strawberry ice cream is what I was going to say. Is that all you think about?" She said with a twinkle in her eye, slapping his chest playfully.

"Before I go into the kitchen to get your strawberry ice cream, there's something we need to talk about. It has to do with what happened yesterday," Mike said, sitting up.

"Mike, I don't want to -" Jill began.

"I know you don't want to, but we need to," he interrupted firmly, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently. "Hear me out, okay? If something had happened to me, you wouldn't have gotten a phone call. Lt. Ryker would either have come to tell you himself or he would have sent someone."

"Mike, I was scared," she confessed shakily. "When I was told you had had an accident, that was the only thing I was thinking about. I wasn't thinking about the possibility of it being a trap. I love you and I don't want to lose you. That's why I left the hospital. I had to be with you."

"I know, babe. But, if ever you're in doubt, call the precinct and at least see if I'm there. Okay?" He said as he leaned over and kissed her.

"Okay. Now, about my strawberry ice cream -" she looked at Mike with bright, shining eyes.


EPILOGUE

The guys came over for dinner a few days later. Jill was sitting on the coffee table bandaging Mike's knee as Willie got beers for everybody. He handed one to Mike.

"Mike," Willie said, handing Mike a can.

"Ah, groovy. Thank you," Mike said gratefully as he popped the top.

"I thought you weren't supposed to treat members of your immediate family," Terry chided teasingly, crunching a potato chip.

"And I thought you were invited to dinner, not to criticize," Jill reminded him pointedly.

Terry held his hands out in mock surrender as Willie added, "Yeah, but he's been home for four days now. It's beginning to look a little suspicious."

"Some guys will do anything to pull desk duty," Terry threw in.

"Yeah," Willie agreed.

"I don't know how you guys have made it on the streets. I mean, four days without me there to cover for you," Mike told the two guys.

"It's been tough," Willie said, nodding.

"Uh, speaking of people needing our help, whatever happened to that student nurse of yours?" Terry asked Jill.

"Hmm?" Jill asked, confused.

"You know, the one you were telling us about that was having all that trouble," Willie said.

"Oh, she's okay. She's getting better every day, as a matter of fact," Jill said, smiling.

"Who are you guys talking about? Somebody I know?" Mike asked curiously.

"Yeah, you know her," Jill told him, smiling faintly.

"Who?" Mike asked blankly.

"I'll tell you later," she promised as she pulled him forward and kissed him.

"Oh, yeah?" Mike asked, intrigued.

"Much later."

"Hey, hey, come on! We came over here for dinner!" Willie said as Mike and Jill kissed again.

"Yeah, let's eat! Let's eat!" Terry said, heading toward the table.

"All right, somebody help the poor invalid!" Jill laughed as Mike struggled to his feet.


Mike was lying in bed beside Jill later that night. He was thinking about something the guys had mentioned earlier, but he didn't want to upset Jill by talking about Borden anymore. She would talk about what had happened to a point before she started getting upset about it.

"Hey, babe. I was just thinking," he said, as he moved closer and started drawing circles on Jill's back.

"What were you thinking about?" She asked, rolling over and facing him.

"Well, I still have a couple of more days before I have to go back to work. Why don't we get away for the weekend? Maybe go up to Catalina Island? Have you ever been there?" He asked, smiling into her eyes.

"No, but I would love to go away with you for the weekend," she said, kissing him.


Mike made reservations at a small inn that faced the bay. He and Jill walked in behind the bellhop and Jill waited while Mike tipped him. Jill then walked over and opened the shades to admire the view. She smiled as Mike walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.

"This is wonderful, Mike. How did you ever find out about it?" She asked, turning around to face him.

"Oh, that's classified. You have your secrets and I have mine," Mike replied, with a smile, as he gently kissed Jill.

"What secrets are you talking about? I don't have any secrets, at least not anymore," Jill said, as she stared at him in confusion.

"Remember when Willie and Terry were over the other night -"

"Mike, I did not come up here to talk about Willie and Terry. I thought this was supposed to be a 'romantic' weekend," she said, smiling.

"I have to just know one thing, then I promise, we will not talk about Willie and Terry the rest of the weekend," Mike said, reaching over and pulling her back into his arms.

"Okay. What do you want to know?" She asked, although she had a pretty good idea. She was surprised he hadn't brought it up earlier.

"They mentioned something about a student nurse. Did you tell them what was going on with Borden?"

"Kind of," Jill said, shrugging.

"Kind of? What do you mean, 'kind of?'"

"Well, I had to tell them something and I knew if I told them I was the one getting the phone calls, they would go to you and then, all hell would have broke loose," she said.

"Well, I hate to tell you this, but they came running to me, anyway. They didn't entirely buy your student nurse story," he said, leaning down to kiss her.

"I know they didn't entirely buy it. I thought I sounded more convincing than I did. What did they tell you?" Jill said, trying to concentrate on their conversation.

"Oh, just that something was bothering you, but they didn't know what it was. That's what I was trying to ask you about the night of the dinner party," he said, as his hands began slowly exploring her.

"Do we have to talk about this, anymore? You're not playing fair," Jill said, her senses reeling.

"Have you ever known me to play fair?" He asked, smiling at her.

"Can you at least put your motor on pause for one second? I have to talk to you about something," she said, looking up at him with shining eyes.

"Okay, my 'motor' is on idle. Now, milady, what is it that is so important that you have to discuss it with me now?" He asked, folding his arms and trying not to smile.

"I've been thinking about another conversation we had before things started getting crazy. Remember when you asked me when I was going to throw that book away? The caution and precaution book?" Jill looked at Mike, as he slowly nodded. "I was thinking that maybe we could start working on Michael Danko the Second. "

Mike's face broke into a huge grin as he gathered Jill into his arms and held her as tightly as he could. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" He asked, kissing her gently.

"Oh, I'm very sure. I had just never given it much thought before. I love you, Mike, and I want to have your baby more than anything in this world," she said, reaching up and touching his face.

"You do realize what this means? We might not leave this room for the entire weekend," Mike said, scooping Jill up into his arms and depositing her on the bed in the middle of the room.

"Well, I'm a firm believer in practice making perfect," she said, pulling him down toward her to kiss him.

THE END















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