Chapter 18
Donovan could hear Cody descending the staircase from behind. Monica, Alex and Jake soon rounded the corner; they had been waiting in the gym. All looked distressed as they approached their boss and Jake was the first to speak.
"Sorry, Frank. It's not a good excuse, but we were so curious," he stammered, shaking his head. "We never imagined it would be so personal. We thought it related to the drug smuggling case you were on."
Donovan took a moment before he acknowledged his team. "In a way, it did relate to the case," he told them as he moved from the computer to the briefing table. "The woman on the vid-call, Misty Asher, is a friend of the woman who was wounded during the arrest of three cops that ran the drug operation in Bangor."
Alex put a comforting hand on his shoulder as she sat beside him and she heard a heavy sigh escape him. Frank Donovan wasn't a machine after all, she realized.
He smiled weakly at Alex before continuing. "Caitlin Whitfield is the woman who was wounded. She saved my life after I was shot by those cops. She took care of me without help or alerting anyone to my real identity." He smiled as memories of her flooded his mind.
"Sounds like a tough cookie," Cody commented.
Frank nodded. "She is that, and more." This was exhausting, he thought. He hated to talk about himself, let alone his feelings. He knew he was about to sound like a lovesick puppy, but maybe it was time to spill his guts no matter how he sounded. The only thing he feared was losing the respect of these people; respect that had taken him so much time to earn.
Jake, Cody and Monica took seats around the table. "We gathered by the call that a lot happened between you and this Caitlin," Monica gently prodded.
Again, he nodded. "I've never met anyone like her," he confessed. "I think I was lost to her the minute I laid eyes on her." A desolate laugh escaped him. "So, how do I repay her love after she took such care of me? I leave her fighting for life in a hospital to testify at some reprobate's trial."
"The D.A. didn't give you a choice," Alex interjected. She watched as Cody quietly left the table and went to his computer. The sounds of rapid key clicks echoed through the quiet warehouse.
"It shouldn't have made a difference," he countered. "Caitlin should have been my only concern." I'm such a fool, he thought to himself.
"I'll be honest," Monica admitted, "it's hard to imagine you putting your duty aside for anything. The job has always been your life; you're just getting to know a different side of yourself. Maybe you should give yourself a break." She smiled warmly at her all-too-human boss. "Life is full of second chances. If this woman loves you; she'll give you one."
Cody walked back to the table and handed Donovan a sheet of paper. "It's your e-ticket," he explained with a grin when Frank shot him a questioning look. "Your flight leaves in three hours."
"What about my testimony?" Not that he cared; he had already made up his mind that he was going back as soon as he could make the arrangements. Cody just sped up the departure time.
"Hey, we were there, remember?" Jake reminded him. "They already have our testimonies. They also have your signed report, your deposition, and if I remember correctly, they video taped it."
"That's right," Alex agreed. "If that isn't enough for the D.A, then he doesn't deserve his job."
Donovan smiled genuinely. "Thank you, everyone." His eyes twinkled. "I hope I still have a job with you when I get back; it would be awful to have break in a new team."
"Don't worry," Cody feigned seriousness, "no one else would have you."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He approached the nurse's station with apprehension. It seemed like an eternity since he left Chicago and was met at the Bangor airport by Tom Fallon. Tom had insisted driving him to Calais, and the drive seemed incessantly long, with his friend trying to lift his mood with senseless chatter. He had never been so happy to see the little town. Tom decided to pay a visit to Sheriff McClain, and Donovan headed on to the hospital alone.
Caitlin's room had been empty and he was in the process of going to the nurse's station to ask her whereabouts when Mrs. Redman rounded the corner.
"Mr. Donovan!" She gave him a soft hug. "Thank God you're back. No one's been able to break through to Caity, but surely you will."
"I hope so," he sighed. "How is she?"
Mrs. Redman smiled encouragingly, "As far as the doctor's can determine, she's fine. Thankfully she suffered no brain damage and as for her lung, she's healing."
"Good news," he muttered. "Her room is empty. Do you know where she is?"
She nodded. "I just left her with Misty in the hospital park. It's just down that hall, to your left. Can't miss the exit sign," she explained as she pointed the way out to Donovan.
He nodded his thanks and went in search of Caitlin.
As he opened the door leading to the outdoors, he glanced around the small park and spotted Caitlin instantly. She was seated in a wheelchair beside a park bench. Misty sat next to her on the bench, a book in her hand. She was reading to Caitlin.
He slowly approached the pair; Caitlin sat with her left side clearly in view. Caitlin's hair was combed so that it covered the bald patch of hair on the left side of her head, but the wind picked up just then, blowing her hair about her face, revealing the small bandage that covered her wound. The wind was whipping the dark green nightgown that she wore around her ankles, and Donovan watched as Misty pulled the white bathrobe back over her legs and then put a blanket over her lap.
"Frank," Misty whispered, looking up as a shadow fell over her. "I'm glad you came."
"Thanks. How is she?" He asked as he crouched in front of the wheelchair and gazed into Caitlin's lifeless green eyes. In all his years, through all the horrors he'd witnessed, he had never seen anything so heart wrenching as the sight of Caitlin as she was now.
Misty threw up her hands. "Like I told you, it's like no one's in there."
Donovan covered one of Caitlin's hands with his. Although her skin was warm enough, it was as if he was touching a stranger, the instantaneous heat he'd always felt with her was gone.
"Angel...Angel, can you hear me?" He asked as he studied her face. There was no sign of recognition, no trace of movement.
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. "I'm sorry I left you, I know it's been horrible for you. Can you forgive me?" Nothing.
He stood and quickly picked Caitlin up from the wheelchair and sat down on the bench with her across his lap. Her head rested against his shoulder, his chin touching the top of her head. She was stiff and unmoving in his arms as he gently stroked her hair.
He looked at Misty with unshed tears in his eyes. He never felt so helpless; he had no idea how to reach her. He wished there were some magic spell that would undo all the bad that had happened to this lovely creature.
He stood again; Caitlin secured firmly in his arms and began walking from the hospital grounds. He heard Misty running after him, her voice frantic, but he didn't stop.
"Frank, where do you think you're going?" She demanded.
"I have an idea, Misty," he started to explain, while he continued to leave the grounds. "I can't reach her here, but there may be a place."
Misty pleaded. "What if something goes wrong? What if you put her in danger?"
He shrugged, causing Caitlin's head to bounce against his shoulder. "It's a chance I have to take. Do this - - have the hospital get an ambulance ready, if something happens, I'll call you and they can be there in minutes." He watched as Misty's worried expression intensified. "I'll call you either way."
He fumbled with the passenger door of Tom's Blazer for a moment and gently placed Caitlin in the seat, strapping her in securely. He stared at her for a moment, taking in her mannequin like qualities. The sight of her like this was sickening and his stomach rolled with pity for her and loathing for himself.
He ran to the driver's side, pausing for a moment before entering the vehicle. "There is one other thing you could do," he told Misty. When her eyes questioned him he merely said, "Pray."
To be continued...