Part IV

See Part I for disclaimers, etc.


Recklessly, Liz ran for her father, now lying on the expensive carpet of the ritzy hotel. Two shots rang out again and it crossed her mind that they might be intended for her, but she felt nothing. As she approached her father, she fell to her knees beside him, calling out his name.

The last two shots belonged to Lee Stetson as he effectively took out the gunman. Earlier, Lee had gone to check on Liz, only to find she'd left her room. He'd arrived in the lobby of the hotel just as Jones had collapsed. With the shooter taken care of, the agent focused on Liz, rushing to her and her father.

Liz saw the blood beginning to seep into her father's expensive suit. He gasped for air then winced in pain. Quickly, she shed her sweater and pressed it to her father's chest...but the blood just kept coming. Helplessly she looked around for some sign of hope, but the lobby was immersed in chaos.

Brian reached up slowly, with one trembling hand, and touched his daughter's cheek. "Liz -- beth...," he managed between gasps.

"Daddy," she whispered. She could see the fear and regret in his eyes, and it scared her even more than the blood.

He brushed his hand across her hair, then let it fall to rest on her leg. He didn't have the strength to hold it up. "I'm sorry..." he paused, trying to suck air into his lungs. "I should've...spent...more time with you."

Liz's sweater was now soaked with his blood, but she kept it pressed against his chest. "We will. When you get better," she struggled with the words.

"I'm sorry," her father whispered again. "I love you --" then his eyes closed and his face relaxed.

"Daddy? Daddy!" He didn't respond and she touched his face, calling out his name over and over, panic filling her voice. Then she felt someone's eyes on her and she looked up to meet the gaze of a stranger. But he wasn't a stranger; her shocked mind recognized him as having been with the man who shot her father. His eyes were cold, so dark they appeared black, and as he glanced down at Brian, unconscious in his daughter's arms, a look of heartless satisfaction crossed his stony features.

Fury raged within Liz, pure adrenaline fueling the fire of her anger. Suddenly, two large hands grabbed her from behind, trying to pull her up and away from her father. "No!" she shouted, futilely struggling against her captor, but it was no use. Though she continued fighting, her gaze remained focused on the dark man.

Lee pulled Liz up against his chest as the paramedics came in the building. Trying to give them room to work, and not wanting Liz to have to experience this, he tried to move her away from the scene. She struggled against his hold and he noticed she was focused on something in particular. He followed her gaze to the man he knew as Dante Casale heading for the door.

Lee pulled Liz further away from the gruesome scene and watched Casale bolt from the lobby. Quickly spotting Amanda, he called her over. "Watch her," he commanded not relinquishing his hold on Liz until Amanda had an arm firmly around her.

"Where are you going?" Amanda asked, her eyes wide.

"After Casale."

Amanda took Liz to a corner of the lobby, watching her carefully and keeping her close, concerned deeply for her welfare. Amanda turned to face Liz. "Are you okay?"

Liz tried to focus, stay calm, and not think about what her father looked like right now. "What's going to happen to my father?" she asked in a small voice. It was no use; she couldn't help but watch the paramedics work on him.

Amanda momentarily contemplated what to tell her; not wanting to lie to her, but not wanting to frighten her either. She knew he had been shot twice, and even though she'd only gotten a glimpse, she had seen that he had lost a lot of blood. "Now look, the paramedics are here and they're going to take good care of your father, all right?"

"Are they gonna take him to the hospital?"

"Yes. We'll get there as soon as we can, okay?"

Liz turned back to Amanda searching for reassurance. Amanda lightly rubbed her arm, and Liz let out the breath she had been holding, leaning against Amanda. Wanting to offer support, Amanda hugged her, squeezing her shoulders with one arm. Liz accepted it for a moment then stiffened her spine, effectively distancing herself from Amanda.

Once again, Liz's actions reminded Amanda of Lee -- pushing her away with her words and actions, yet all the while pulling her in with her eyes. Liz quickly closed that last door in Amanda's face, shutting in her emotions. However, Amanda recognized the look in her eyes and it only made her more determined to support Liz.

A few moments later, Lee returned. Amanda's eyes widened slightly in a silent query. The brief shake of Lee's head was her answer.

He placed his hand on Liz's back "Are you all right?"

"The man you went after...he was with the man that shot my father...did you find him?" Liz asked anxiously, turning completely from Amanda.

Lee hesitated. "No...but I know who he is. I called Billy, if there's any way we can get him, we will."

By that time, the ambulance was leaving with Brian and Amanda and Lee took Liz to the hospital in a cab.

At the hospital, Brian went straight into surgery. Liz waited silently. She prayed her father would survive this. She held onto her faith in him with all the strength she had, but her mind kept urging not to get her hopes up. She felt her optimism slipping away. She started to think that it might be better to just expect the worst, at least then she couldn't be let down, yet again.

Lee and Amanda sat next to each other, Lee gently holding Amanda's hand in both of his, gaining comfort from the contact. They had assured Liz over and over that everything would turn out okay, but she had simply nodded, barely paying attention and there was nothing else they could do until they knew if Brian was going to live or die.

Finally, a surgeon came into the waiting room. Liz was sitting in the corner, Amanda was next to her and Lee was pacing at the far end of the room.

The surgeon recognized Liz right away, the nurse had given him a description, but more than that she looked a lot like her father. He spoke English with a heavy French accent. "Mademoiselle?" Liz looked up with wide eyes. "You are Monsieur Jones daughter, no?" She nodded. Looking to Amanda he asked "You are her mother?"

By then, Lee had approached them. "Her mother is dead. I'll take responsibility for her."

The doctor nodded, his lips pursed into a thin line. "There was nothing we could do for your father...he didn't make it. He had two gunshot wounds, one bullet went between his ribs, piercing his lung, the other bullet caused a tear in his aorta, the artery that comes straight off his heart." He gestured to his chest with his hand. "We took him straight into surgery, but, like I said, there wasn't much we could do. I am sorry." He waited, allowing the news to sink in. "May I talk to you?" he looked pointedly at Lee.

Lee moved across the room with him.

"The girl may see her father, with your consent, to say good-bye." He paused, noticing Lee looked uncertain. "The chest wounds will be covered, but he will have tubes down his throat and nose. They must remain there until the autopsy."

Lee nodded in understanding.

"We must move him, and someone will be here momentarily. Take the time to decide."

Lee nodded and returned to where Liz and Amanda were sitting, kneeling down beside Liz. "You can see your father if you want to, Lizzie."

"Okay," she answered quietly.

"He'll still have tubes in his nose and down his throat from the surgery. They have to leave them in until after the autopsy."

Liz nodded slowly, still in a daze from the events of the last 24 hours. "I want to see him," she said in a stronger voice. She was scared, but she wouldn't miss the chance to see her father -- even if it was for the last time.

***

Afterwards, Amanda took Liz back to the hotel, while Lee went to the police station to help with the investigation. He seemed desperate to do something, anything, but was torn between staying with Liz and finding Dante Casale. Amanda assured him that she would stay with Liz. The young woman didn't seem to want to talk, and Amanda suggested that she would probably want to be alone anyway.

Amanda and Liz quietly made their way to Liz's room. Soundlessly, Liz unlocked the door and entered the darkened hotel room.

"Liz?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it okay if I stay?"

Liz paused, her eyes wide, not expecting that question. "Uh, yeah, it's okay." Liz sat down on the couch and Amanda sat next to her.

"If you want to talk, I'll be happy to listen."

Liz just shook her head, not looking up.

"Sweetheart, you must be feeling something. It would make you feel better to talk about it."

Liz sat quietly, deep in thought, a heartbreaking emptiness growing in her chest.

Amanda sat back, staring ahead and sighing softly. "My father died when I was 19."

Liz raised her head. "He did?"

Amanda nodded once. "He had a heart attack. I was at school when it happened. It was hard. I felt guilty for not being there. We were really close. I was devastated, but my mother and I worked through it together and you learn to accept it. You don't have to like it, but you move on."

Liz smiled cynically, her anger at the situation surfacing. "Yeah, life goes on...c'est la vie."

"In a way, yes, but that doesn't mean you can't remember the good times...and the love."

Liz was quiet for a long time. "Do you miss him?"

"I sure do."

"It seems like I've always missed my father. When I think about it that way, it's like nothing's really going to change."

Before Amanda could answer, Liz quickly changed the subject. "When are we going home?"

"I'm not sure Liz. You're grandmother is flying in tomorrow. I think you'll probably go home with her."

"I don't want to go home with her. I want to go with you and Lee."

Amanda smiled in spite of herself, Liz had grown on her rather quickly. It was obvious she didn't get along very well with her grandmother and despite the importance of family, the last thing this child needed right now was more distress. "We'll see, Liz."

A knocking at the door interrupted the silence. Amanda told Liz to stay put with one look, then rose to answer the door. Any apprehension turned to relief at the sight of the tired form of her husband waiting on the other side. She quickly let him in, caressing his arm in a show of support.

Liz stood when she saw him. "Did you find him? That man?" His dark eyes had been haunting her thoughts since she'd first seen him.

Lee shook his head, frowning. "No. He's disappeared. We're doing everything we can Lizzie. Try not to think about it, okay?"

Liz sighed a deep sigh.

"You need to get some rest," Lee told her.

"I don't think I can sleep,"she answered.

"I know. But you have to try."

"Every time I close my eyes...I see," she took a breath, "I see all that blood."

Amanda wrapped her arm protectively around Liz's shoulders.

"Would you feel better if I stayed with you, Lizzie?" Lee asked softly.

"Could you? Just until I fall asleep?"

"Of course," he answered.

"Thank you," she whispered looking from Lee to Amanda. Liz stepped back from Amanda's embrace and went into the bathroom.

As she closed the door, Lee brought Amanda into an intimate hug and kissed her forehead. "You should get some rest, too. You look exhausted."

"Are you sure, Lee?"

"Yeah, go on. I'll be there soon."

She paused, resting her hands on his lapels, "Do you think she'll be okay? I mean, what an awful thing to have to go through."

"She's strong," he answered, but Amanda still looked doubtful. "We'll help her get through this. Now, go get some rest."

Amanda turned before she left, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

***

Lee stripped off his jacket and loosened his tie, flopping unceremoniously onto the couch. He was drained. Leaning his head against the back of the couch, he squeezed his eyes shut tightly. This all hit a little too close to home for his comfort. He was certainly familiar with the nightmares and he was no stranger to disillusionment.

Liz emerged from the bathroom in sweats and a t-shirt. She tried to smile when she looked at Lee, but it didn't come out as a smile and she climbed wordlessly into bed, flicking off the light.

Lying in the security of the darkness, though, she quietly voiced the thoughts that had been running through Lee's head all night.

"He seemed so...sorry...when he was dying."

"Yeah," Lee said. "I heard him."

"It almost seemed liked he loved me."

"Lizzie," Lee sat forward, surprised at Liz's words. "Whatever your father's faults, he loved you and your mother very much."

"He had a funny way of showing it," she said, the pain and sadness evident in her voice.

"Work was all he knew, Lizzie. It was what his father did, and what his grandfather did before that. It took a long time for me to admit to myself that I loved Amanda, and even then I couldn't tell her. But I did love her and he did love you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really." Their words echoed in the darkness of the room.

Liz sighed softly trying to relax into the pillows and comforter on the unfamiliar bed.

Lee listened intently, waiting for another question he couldn't answer, another fear he couldn't quell. But, soon her breathing evened out and slowed down and Lee began to relax.

As he closed his eyes the image of Liz's father dying and his last words flashed through his mind, again. All the secrets had been putting a definite strain on his and Amanda's marriage, but they had kept up the facade despite it all.

He sighed, puffing out his cheeks and letting the air out slowly, running a hand through his hair. He was tired of going home alone every night and he was tired of looking in through the kitchen window. He wanted to be part of a real family. At first, he hadn't been ready. He'd been scared. Acquiring a wife and two teenage boys all in one 'I do' was a bit overwhelming. And while their safety would always come first, he had spent so much time with them lately, any fool could see he was a part of the family.

'Yes,' he assured himself, it would be better if he was there to protect them instead of leaving them alone and vulnerable every night. He didn't want to die like Brian, with a wasted life full of nothing but regrets. It didn't matter, he'd made up his mind.




To be concluded...