Part Ten
"Non!"
Sheridan's heart stopped at the sound. It was Catherine. Catherine was screaming. A terrible, anguish-filled scream. Luis bolted off the bed. Flattening himself against the wall. Motioning for her to stay put. But when had she ever listened to him before? She followed him as he crept down the hall. Neither daring to breathe. Sheridan felt a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach as she heard Catherine whimpering from the room just ahead. Marie's room. Something was terribly wrong. She closed her eyes and held on to Luis's hand tightly. Praying to God. Praying that the little girl she loved so dearly and her mother were okay. Luis raised a finger to his lips and stopped in front of Marie's room. The door was slightly ajar, and the pale light from the moon spilled out in the hall. "Catherine," he whispered. "Catherine? Are you alright?"
They could hear Catherine's gentle sobbing inside the room. Fear gripped Sheridan's heart like a vice as Luis slowly eased the door open, and the sight before her made her weak. Sick to her stomach. "Sheri," Catherine cried pitifully. "Oh Sheri." Tears pooled in Sheridan's blue eyes at the sound of her little voice. The horror in her once sparkling green eyes. Blood soaked her once snowy white nightgown. Marie's blood. Her mother's blood. "Luis," she cried. "Help her. Help her," she wailed. Reaching for him with her blood-stained hands. Luis grabbed her up in his arms. Clutching her close. His brown eyes filling with water. "Shh," he soothed. "It'll be okay," he whispered. But in her heart, Sheridan knew things would never be okay for Catherine again. Never. She'd had her childhood stolen from her in one blinding moment.
With a shaking hand, Sheridan felt for a pulse. Hoping against hope she would find one. But it was too late. Her beautiful friend was gone. Silenced forever. "There's.there's nothing to do," she whispered. Shaking her head in disbelief. Who had done this? Who would want to do something so terrible, she wondered, as she felt her legs begin to fail her. Luis caught her in his arms before she fell, and she clung to him as if her life depended on it. Burying her face against his chest. Her tears wetting his shirt. Luis cursed whoever had done this. Taken the life of the mother of the sweet little child in his arms. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and a strange feeling in his gut. They needed to get out of here. Quick.
"Sheridan," he whispered. Kissing the crown of her golden head. "Sheridan," he repeated. Staring into her sad blue eyes. "We have to get out of here. NOW," he insisted. And the sadness in her eyes was replaced by fear as she took Catherine's limp body from his arms and listened to his instructions. "I want you to get some clothes for you and Catherine," he said. Stroking her face with his thumb. "Remember how you left the other day?" She nodded her head slowly. "I want you to take Catherine. Be very careful. Wait for me at that cathedral nearby. Stay there until I come for you. Okay?" he pleaded. His brown eyes not shying away from her gaze.
"But Luis.I can't leave you here. What if something happens to you? What if whoever did this." "Don't say it," he warned. A finger to her lips. "Don't even think it. Sheridan, please. For once. Do what I say. Forget your stubborn ways and listen to me." Her blue eyes glittered with unshed tears as she whispered, "Okay, Officer. I'll do it. But don't you dare not come back to me. We still have a lot of unfinished business between us." Luis smiled at her despite the circumstances and pulled her against him. Meshing his lips with hers. "There," he whispered. "Something to remember me by. Now.off with you. You get Catherine out of here. Somewhere safe." He watched her as she disappeared from sight. And he sent a special prayer to God, to his father if he were up in Heaven above, asking them both to keep her and Catherine safe. Not let anything happen to them.
He counted silently. Willing his heart to stop hammering against his chest. Willing himself to stay calm as he searched the rooms in the apartment. Looking for evidence, any evidence he could find, to alert him to the identity of the sorry excuse for human beings that had perpetrated this horrendous crime. Turning the place upside down in his quest. And finding.and finding nothing. NOTHING. But he couldn't ignore the feeling in his heart. The feeling in his gut that told him Marie had only gotten in the way. Gotten in the way to Sheridan. His gaze caught a familiar object tucked away under the edge of Marie's bed, and he knelt down to retrieve it. Catherine's teddy bear. He grabbed the ragged old bear in his hands. Stilling his movements when he heard a creaking sound. A creaking sound that sounded close by. The teddy bear fell from his hands when the blow landed to his head. And darkness swallowed him up.
"Non!"
Sheridan's heart stopped at the sound. It was Catherine. Catherine was screaming. A terrible, anguish-filled scream. Luis bolted off the bed. Flattening himself against the wall. Motioning for her to stay put. But when had she ever listened to him before? She followed him as he crept down the hall. Neither daring to breathe. Sheridan felt a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach as she heard Catherine whimpering from the room just ahead. Marie's room. Something was terribly wrong. She closed her eyes and held on to Luis's hand tightly. Praying to God. Praying that the little girl she loved so dearly and her mother were okay. Luis raised a finger to his lips and stopped in front of Marie's room. The door was slightly ajar, and the pale light from the moon spilled out in the hall. "Catherine," he whispered. "Catherine? Are you alright?"
They could hear Catherine's gentle sobbing inside the room. Fear gripped Sheridan's heart like a vice as Luis slowly eased the door open, and the sight before her made her weak. Sick to her stomach. "Sheri," Catherine cried pitifully. "Oh Sheri." Tears pooled in Sheridan's blue eyes at the sound of her little voice. The horror in her once sparkling green eyes. Blood soaked her once snowy white nightgown. Marie's blood. Her mother's blood. "Luis," she cried. "Help her. Help her," she wailed. Reaching for him with her blood-stained hands. Luis grabbed her up in his arms. Clutching her close. His brown eyes filling with water. "Shh," he soothed. "It'll be okay," he whispered. But in her heart, Sheridan knew things would never be okay for Catherine again. Never. She'd had her childhood stolen from her in one blinding moment.
With a shaking hand, Sheridan felt for a pulse. Hoping against hope she would find one. But it was too late. Her beautiful friend was gone. Silenced forever. "There's.there's nothing to do," she whispered. Shaking her head in disbelief. Who had done this? Who would want to do something so terrible, she wondered, as she felt her legs begin to fail her. Luis caught her in his arms before she fell, and she clung to him as if her life depended on it. Burying her face against his chest. Her tears wetting his shirt. Luis cursed whoever had done this. Taken the life of the mother of the sweet little child in his arms. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and a strange feeling in his gut. They needed to get out of here. Quick.
"Sheridan," he whispered. Kissing the crown of her golden head. "Sheridan," he repeated. Staring into her sad blue eyes. "We have to get out of here. NOW," he insisted. And the sadness in her eyes was replaced by fear as she took Catherine's limp body from his arms and listened to his instructions. "I want you to get some clothes for you and Catherine," he said. Stroking her face with his thumb. "Remember how you left the other day?" She nodded her head slowly. "I want you to take Catherine. Be very careful. Wait for me at that cathedral nearby. Stay there until I come for you. Okay?" he pleaded. His brown eyes not shying away from her gaze.
"But Luis.I can't leave you here. What if something happens to you? What if whoever did this." "Don't say it," he warned. A finger to her lips. "Don't even think it. Sheridan, please. For once. Do what I say. Forget your stubborn ways and listen to me." Her blue eyes glittered with unshed tears as she whispered, "Okay, Officer. I'll do it. But don't you dare not come back to me. We still have a lot of unfinished business between us." Luis smiled at her despite the circumstances and pulled her against him. Meshing his lips with hers. "There," he whispered. "Something to remember me by. Now.off with you. You get Catherine out of here. Somewhere safe." He watched her as she disappeared from sight. And he sent a special prayer to God, to his father if he were up in Heaven above, asking them both to keep her and Catherine safe. Not let anything happen to them.
He counted silently. Willing his heart to stop hammering against his chest. Willing himself to stay calm as he searched the rooms in the apartment. Looking for evidence, any evidence he could find, to alert him to the identity of the sorry excuse for human beings that had perpetrated this horrendous crime. Turning the place upside down in his quest. And finding.and finding nothing. NOTHING. But he couldn't ignore the feeling in his heart. The feeling in his gut that told him Marie had only gotten in the way. Gotten in the way to Sheridan. His gaze caught a familiar object tucked away under the edge of Marie's bed, and he knelt down to retrieve it. Catherine's teddy bear. He grabbed the ragged old bear in his hands. Stilling his movements when he heard a creaking sound. A creaking sound that sounded close by. The teddy bear fell from his hands when the blow landed to his head. And darkness swallowed him up.
