"Frank?"
Frank looked up from the seat he was in to see Monica and Cody standing there. Alex and Jake were at the desk interrogating the nurse about something. Dodge and Wallace were talking to the local police about what had happened. None of them had come anywhere near him since they'd taken Litha up to surgery.
"How's Litha?"
"Once to her upper right chest, once to her abdomen that bounced off of her badge." He was holding her dented JD Badge in his hand. He could feel the rough sharp edges where one of her own bullets had hit the badge on her way down to the ground and deflected up across her stomach. "They took her up to surgery an hour ago. The bullet in her abdomen was missing, no exit wound so they were going in to look for it."
Monica looked at Cody, who then turned and disappeared.
"How is Elizabeth?"
"She's just fine. There is someone else who's waiting to see you."
Alex came over. "Go on Frank. I'll go up to surgical waiting and bring word down as soon as something happens."
He nodded and stood up, following Monica through the winding maze of rooms in the ER. At the end of the hallway were two rooms next to each other, both with police outside the doors. Monica nodded to the one and opened the door. Inside on the bed was Elizabeth. She was sitting up and working a crossword puzzle.
"Mrs. Sinclair." Monica stepped back out of the way. He needed to do this alone.
"Agent Donovan."
Frank sighed. "Look, Elizabeth, I wish I knew what I did to make you hate me so much."
"You put my baby into a situation that caused her to be sent away for a very long time. I thought she was dead, Agent Donovan. I know you didn't shoot her, just like I know you didn't make her stay when she found out she was pregnant. Why didn't you come see her or anything?" Her gaze was green, just like Litha's and just as intent.
"Because I didn't know. I knew she needed space and that there were things she had to do by herself. I just found out myself about the baby." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry. Sorry that I'm not the man you think deserves your daughter, and sorry that you and Angelina got drawn into the mess. But it's over now. When Litha is up and around, she'll explain everything to you I'm sure."
The older woman's eyes held his for a moment. The left side of her face was black and blue with yellowish tinges where the bruising had faded somewhat. "How is she? Any word yet?"
"No. As soon as Alex hears something she'll let us know."
Elizabeth nodded and went back to her crossword puzzle.
Frank stood up and headed for the door.
"I never thought you didn't deserve her, Frank. I just wanted to bang both of your heads against the wall to knock some sense into you both."
He looked back to see Elizabeth smiling at him for once. "I'll check in on you later Elizabeth."
Monica followed him out and led him into the next room past the officer there. Cody was in the room and leaning over something. Various giggles and coos were heard, in addition to some squeaks and peals of babyish laughter. Frank froze in his steps.
"I can't do this..." he started to back up for the door when Cody stepped back from the bed.
"What's wrong Frank? Afraid of a little baby?" Cody grinned. This was going to be priceless.
The babyish laughter ceased, replaced by a soft cooing sound coming from the bed. Frank's dark eyes found the source and stared. The baby girl in the bed was on her back and had hold of her toes where Cody was playing with her feet. As she rolled over onto her stomach, Cody's hand immediately reached out to cover her in case she got too close to the edge of the bed and rolled off. A head of pitch black hair popped up out of the sheets and a pair of grass green eyes looked curiously around the room.
Frank stepped closer and looked in the bed. The baby sat up and looked up at him calm as you please. Frank's forehead wrinkled a bit as he stared at the baby. Behind him, Cody and Monica started giggling. Jake walked in to hear and leaned over.
"What's going on?"
"Take a look. There is no way ANYONE can dispute that the little girl in that bed is Frank's child." Monica started laughing, attempting to cover it up with her hand.
Jake leaned around Frank's shoulder to see what was so funny.
There, in the bed and sitting up staring at Frank, was a baby girl with her mother's green eyes and pitch black hair, and who's face was fixed in a perfect mirror of their fearless leader's disseminating stare.
****
Frank looked up from the seat he was in to see Monica and Cody standing there. Alex and Jake were at the desk interrogating the nurse about something. Dodge and Wallace were talking to the local police about what had happened. None of them had come anywhere near him since they'd taken Litha up to surgery.
"How's Litha?"
"Once to her upper right chest, once to her abdomen that bounced off of her badge." He was holding her dented JD Badge in his hand. He could feel the rough sharp edges where one of her own bullets had hit the badge on her way down to the ground and deflected up across her stomach. "They took her up to surgery an hour ago. The bullet in her abdomen was missing, no exit wound so they were going in to look for it."
Monica looked at Cody, who then turned and disappeared.
"How is Elizabeth?"
"She's just fine. There is someone else who's waiting to see you."
Alex came over. "Go on Frank. I'll go up to surgical waiting and bring word down as soon as something happens."
He nodded and stood up, following Monica through the winding maze of rooms in the ER. At the end of the hallway were two rooms next to each other, both with police outside the doors. Monica nodded to the one and opened the door. Inside on the bed was Elizabeth. She was sitting up and working a crossword puzzle.
"Mrs. Sinclair." Monica stepped back out of the way. He needed to do this alone.
"Agent Donovan."
Frank sighed. "Look, Elizabeth, I wish I knew what I did to make you hate me so much."
"You put my baby into a situation that caused her to be sent away for a very long time. I thought she was dead, Agent Donovan. I know you didn't shoot her, just like I know you didn't make her stay when she found out she was pregnant. Why didn't you come see her or anything?" Her gaze was green, just like Litha's and just as intent.
"Because I didn't know. I knew she needed space and that there were things she had to do by herself. I just found out myself about the baby." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry. Sorry that I'm not the man you think deserves your daughter, and sorry that you and Angelina got drawn into the mess. But it's over now. When Litha is up and around, she'll explain everything to you I'm sure."
The older woman's eyes held his for a moment. The left side of her face was black and blue with yellowish tinges where the bruising had faded somewhat. "How is she? Any word yet?"
"No. As soon as Alex hears something she'll let us know."
Elizabeth nodded and went back to her crossword puzzle.
Frank stood up and headed for the door.
"I never thought you didn't deserve her, Frank. I just wanted to bang both of your heads against the wall to knock some sense into you both."
He looked back to see Elizabeth smiling at him for once. "I'll check in on you later Elizabeth."
Monica followed him out and led him into the next room past the officer there. Cody was in the room and leaning over something. Various giggles and coos were heard, in addition to some squeaks and peals of babyish laughter. Frank froze in his steps.
"I can't do this..." he started to back up for the door when Cody stepped back from the bed.
"What's wrong Frank? Afraid of a little baby?" Cody grinned. This was going to be priceless.
The babyish laughter ceased, replaced by a soft cooing sound coming from the bed. Frank's dark eyes found the source and stared. The baby girl in the bed was on her back and had hold of her toes where Cody was playing with her feet. As she rolled over onto her stomach, Cody's hand immediately reached out to cover her in case she got too close to the edge of the bed and rolled off. A head of pitch black hair popped up out of the sheets and a pair of grass green eyes looked curiously around the room.
Frank stepped closer and looked in the bed. The baby sat up and looked up at him calm as you please. Frank's forehead wrinkled a bit as he stared at the baby. Behind him, Cody and Monica started giggling. Jake walked in to hear and leaned over.
"What's going on?"
"Take a look. There is no way ANYONE can dispute that the little girl in that bed is Frank's child." Monica started laughing, attempting to cover it up with her hand.
Jake leaned around Frank's shoulder to see what was so funny.
There, in the bed and sitting up staring at Frank, was a baby girl with her mother's green eyes and pitch black hair, and who's face was fixed in a perfect mirror of their fearless leader's disseminating stare.
****