Title: The Heart's Diva
Author: Dreamscape (Shelley )
Type: Romance/Suspense
Spoilers: Manhunt
Summary: After capturing 4 escaped criminals, Donovan is not impressed with his next mission or with whom it involves.
Disclaimer: UC:Undercover and its characters belong to Shane Salerno and formerly NBC. They actually belong to the heart of the fans now! No infringements intended.
Chapter One
It had been a rough two weeks. There had been a brief period when he thought the manhunt for the four escaped criminals would never end. He had barely time to sleep, let alone make it home and he was anxious to get back. He shuffled through the forms that needed to be completed. Lord, what a mess. He would never get this desk clean.
He sat back in his chair when his team entered his office. They were up to something; he could smell it.
"Excuse us," Cody said. "We've decided to do some research this evening."
"Research?" Donovan questioned.
"That's right...on the effects of enormous amounts of alcohol when consumed by a group."
Donovan smiled but didn't reply.
"We're buying," Alex said, trying to bribe him into joining them.
"That's nice but...ah..."
"Hey! Karaoke afterwards," Cody interrupted his refusal. "And we're going on a feeling here...we think you do a mean George Michael."
"How'd you know?" he said with all seriousness
"I think it's pretty obvious." Cody said, just as serious.
Donovan finally couldn't contain it any longer and began to laugh. Alex joined him.
"Well, thank you," he finally answered. "But I have plans."
Cody slapped his thigh. He knew it was a waste of time to ask Donovan, but he had really hoped the boss would join in.
"You sure?" Alex asked.
"You know what," he said, changing his mind. What would it hurt to spend a little off duty time with his team? "Maybe I'll see you there."
Cody didn't believe him. "Don't do us any favors. Not gonna hold our breath."
The team turned to leave and briefly looked back, lifting their hands in a farewell gesture.
Donovan picked up the phone and dialed. "Hey...hard day, but I'm okay. About an hours worth of paperwork and ah..I'm gonna have to make a short stop on the way. Half hour tops...Yeah, me too...I know...I miss you too."
"What the hell," he said after hanging up the phone. The paperwork could wait until the morning. He hurried to catch up with his team.
"Hey," he shouted, stopping them as they were getting into their cars. "See you there!"
Cody grinned. "Wow, I can't believe it," he said to himself as he eased behind the wheel.
************
Donovan sat sipping his whiskey. The Glenlevit. About an hour had past and everyone was feeling pretty good. Or, at least, the alcohol was making them feel pretty good...feeling no pain. He laughed loudly at Cody's attempt to match dance steps with Monica. Cody was best to stay behind his computer. He was definitely a "goofy" dancer.
The music changed tempo and the club's DJ changed tracks. Donovan froze. He recognized that music. He felt his heart begin to race and he broke out it a cold sweat. He was vaguely aware that Jake just asked Alex to dance. "Sure," she said. "This is a beautiful song." And then Jake saying something about not stepping on her toes. The present became a blur as memories drifted through the din of his mind.
"Oh, God...not that voice," he said to himself, gripping his glass tightly. He had come to despise the voice that belonged to the song. It cut right through to his heart and tore his soul to pieces. He would never forget the first time he heard that song. It had been right after...right after...Jesus! He didn't want to think about that time. It had happened well over a year ago. Before he joined the team. Before his six month disappearing act.
I won't see your smile
And I won't hear you laugh anymore
Every night
I won't see you walk through that door
It was a bank job gone bad and Donovan had been called in as the hostage negotiator. It was messy. The perps weren't co-operating and Donovan was running out of time...fast! He dialed inside the bank again, praying the leader would answer. Donovan let the phone ring...ring...ring...until he thought he would go mad.
'Cause time wasn't on your side
It isn't right
I can't say I love you
It's too late to tell you
But I really need you to know
"I told you! No more talk! Get me the damn helicopter!"
"It's on the way. Be patient." Donovan was sweating. He knew he was losing this guy.
"Not good enough. Maybe you'll understand after this!"
The phone went dead in his ear.
Commotion at the front of the bank caught his attention and he went outside to see what was going on. A man wearing a black ski mask opened the front door of the bank. He held a woman by the throat.
"Oh God, no," he thought, seeing clearly who the woman was.
"How's this for patience?" he yelled, putting a gun to the woman's temple and pulling the trigger. He tossed the woman to the ground as he backed into the bank.
Oh, baby,
No, I'll never forget you
I'll never let you out of my heart
You will always be here with me
I'll hold on to the memories, baby
"Theresa!" Donovan screamed, running toward the bank. He pushed police officers and SWAT members out of his way when they tried to cut off his progress to the fallen woman.
He fell to his knees and quickly checked for a pulse. None. In that small amount of time, her life ended. And his ended with her death. He rocked her in his arms, murmuring words and promises of forever.
Baby, can you hear me
Wherever you may be tonight
Oh, oh, are you near me
I need you to be by my side
He sat in his car, numb and unfeeling. SWAT had moved in shortly after Theresa had been killed. The hostages were free--no more casualties. He fingered his wedding ring. His wife was gone. It never dawned on him that the robbery had taken place in the bank his wife always used. Every second Tuesday of the month. He shook his head. Tuesday. It was Goddamned Tuesday!
'Cause I never said goodbye
It isn't right
I should've said I love you
Why didn't I just tell you
God knows, I need you to know
How would he get through this? Oh my god! How would he tell Sammie her mother would never be coming home? Not quite three years old, Samantha was too young to understand death. Maybe that was a blessing.
Oh, baby,
No, I'll never forget you
I'll never let you out of my heart
You will always be here with me
I'll hold on to the memories, baby
Theresa. He moaned and beat his head against the steering wheel. Her eyes had locked onto his just before the gunman pulled the trigger. She knew she was going to die. Her eyes held her love for him and their daughter and pleaded with him to stay safe for her.
Somewhere, I know you'll be with me
Someday, in another time
But right now you're gone
You just vanished away
But I'll never leave you behind.
God, how would he live without her? She had come into his life like a whirlwind five years ago and captured his heart from the moment he saw her. She changed everything for him. He enjoyed life with her and when she became pregnant, he knew his life would never be the same. When Samantha came along, and he held that little baby girl for the first time, he felt all the love in the universe enter his body and swell his heart to the bursting point.
No, I'll never forget you
I'll never let you out of my heart
You will always be here with me
I'll hold on to the memories, babyNow it was all gone, and he had to take care of his daughter alone. Without the woman he loved. He turned the key in the ignition and the radio blared to life with a bittersweet song of loss. The woman's voice cut to his very soul. She sang his every thought and feeling. He slumped back into the seat and cried. Cried for hours before he felt so drained he might collapse from it.
His grip had been so intense; the glass gave way under its pressure. He felt a sharp pain as the glass sliced into his hand.
"Frank!" Monica yelled, quickly wrapping his hand with a napkin.
"I'm fine, Monica," he stammered. "But I think I'm going to call it a night."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Cody asked, concerned.
Donovan nodded and stood. "Thanks for inviting me."
"What happened?" Jake asked when he and Alex returned.
Cody shrugged.
"He was lost in thought during that last song," Monica replied as a waitress began to clean up the broken glass and spilt whiskey. "The glass he was holding broke in his hand. It was...intense...to say the least."
************
"Hi, mom," he said, stepping into the kitchen. He immediately went to the sink and removed the napkins that were wrapped around his injured hand. He cleaned the wounds and rummaged through cabinets looking for bandages.
"What happened to you?" Elizabeth asked.
"Bad memories," he said, hoping she wouldn't ask any more questions.
She knew not to press her son. If he wanted to talk, he would. "I just put Sammie to bed. Go tuck her in."
He kissed his mother on the cheek. "Thanks, mom. It's been a rough night. I think I'll go to bed after I say goodnight to Sammie."
"Okay, dear," she said as he left the room. She hoped her son would start to get over his grief. Sometimes she thought it was getting less painful for him, but something would happen and he would draw back into his shell. Negotiating the return of the Attorney General's son was the last time he had a setback.
"Someday," she said. "Someday."
************
He looked down at the little girl lying under her Pokemon blanket; her loose blonde curls framing her tiny face. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled brightly.
"Daddy!" she cried, holding out a tiny hand.
"Hi, baby. How's daddy's little girl?" he asked, sitting beside her on the bed.
She giggled and leaped from under the covers and into his arms. " 'Kay. Daddy?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Love you." She wrapped her little arms around his neck and pressed a tiny kiss on his cheek.
"I love you, Sammie." He could feel the tears rushing to the surface and fought to hold them back. "Now, it's time for night-night."
" 'Kay, daddy." She crawled back under the blanket.
He sat with her until she fell asleep. His darling daughter, who looked so much like her mother it made his heart ache. He missed Theresa, sometimes so fiercely it took his breath away. But there was Samantha. The best part of both of them. He would always have a part of Theresa. In Sammie and in his heart.
To be continued...
**Never Forget You – written by Mariah Carey and Babyface