Warning: there is a sexual scene near the end...not Renee & Gabriel...not love...didn't think it warranted a change in rating though.

Chapter 3

Renee looked up every time someone appeared in the lobby. "They can't still be operating. It's been over an hour."

"Renee," Dakota tried to comfort her friend. "He's going to be fine. He's pulled through before."

"But he's never been shot before!"

Dakota opened her mouth, but before any words could come out, Dr. Granur stepped into the waiting room. "Mrs. Bowman."

"How is he, Jaime?"

The doctor cringed. He always tried to remain formal around other people. The Bowmans were one of his favorite patients, but it wouldn't look good if he seemed too familiar with them. "Both of the bullets are out. The one that went through his side went clean through so we didn't have to worry about it. The other one, though, lodged in his shoulder. We did get it out though. We almost lost him. He was weak from the blood he lost, and the stress of the operation almost did him in."

"But he's okay?" Renee was afraid to hear the answer.

"We're not sure yet. He's still unconscious. We won't know anything more until he wakes. He lost some blood through the wound in his side, and it tore through some muscle, but missed his vital organs. The shoulder wound was worse though. It broke through his scapula and damaged his deltoid muscle. It also nicked his auxillary artery. That's where he lost a majority of the blood. We did what we could to fix the damaged bone and muscle and fixed the nicked artery, but we needed to wait until he's stronger to do any more with his bones and muscles. We were afraid of losing him again, maybe for good this time.

"A few of his ribs were cracked when the paramedics performed CPR on the way here. We are replenishing his blood through a transfusion. We've stabilized him, but he's still in critical condition."

"Can I see him?"

"For a few minutes. Then, you should take the kids home and try to get some rest yourself."

"I won't."

"I know, but you need to try. You need to be at your full strength to help him regain his."

Renee left the kids with Dakota and followed the doctor down the hallway. He left her alone to be with her husband for a few minutes. She sank into a chair beside the bed and brushed his hair out of his face. She couldn't believe how pale he was. It seemed all the color was drained out of his skin. If she couldn't see his chest rising with every breath and hear the beeping of the machine beside him, Renee would have thought he was dead.

Two IVs were attached to his arm. One with the blood he needed to survive, and the other provided him with medicine. He was hooked to a respirator because his body was still too weak to breathe completely on its own. Tears streamed down Renee's face as she looked at him.

"Renee." She turned when she heard the doctor's voice at the door. "Both of you need rest. You'd better get home. You can't do anything for him anyway. Let us take care of that."

She nodded her head slowly, not wanting to leave her husband, but knowing she didn't have a choice. And she needed to get the kids home.

When she walked into the waiting room, Sara approached her. "I'm so sorry, Renee."

Renee brushed away her apology. "It's not your fault, Sara."

"Yes, it is."

Everyone looked at her, shocked. "What do you mean?"

"It is my fault that this happened. They want me, and they went after him to get at me."

"Who?"

"Corrupt cops. I gave Gabe something to find information on that I could use against them. I shouldn't have. I knew I shouldn't have, but he insisted."

"Why didn't you let IA handle it?" Renee wasn't really angry at Sara, she was just suddenly assaulted with so many different emotions in such a small amount of time and had a hard time handling it.

"My dad left me a tape. It told all about this group. Even said they might have people higher up, even in IA. I told him I didn't want him to get involved, but he wouldn't let me leave it at that, so I made him promise me to be careful."

"That's a promise he's never been able to keep."

"Can you forgive me, Renee?"

Renee looked at Sara. "I won't, because there's nothing to forgive. You can't talk him out of anything once he's set on it, definitely if it involves helping a friend. He wouldn't have backed down no matter what you said. No, I'll leave the forgiving to him. And he'll agree with me."

Dakota took Renee and the kids home, knowing her friend was in no condition to drive. "Are you going to be all right?" She asked after dropping them off at the house.

Renee nodded her head. "Seth should be home. I need to tell him."

"What about Meghan? Are you gonna have to pick up Meghan from her friend's? I could do it if you want me to."

"I'll call Caitlyn and see if she can bring her home in the morning. She's staying at her niece's. She doesn't need to come home tonight."

"He will be all right, Renee," Dakota assured her before driving away.

"He has to be," Renee said as she turned to the house.

Seth greeted her as soon as she stepped inside. "Amie told me her daddy's in the hospital. What happened?"

Renee explained it to him, breaking down in tears well before she had finished. The older man wrapped his arm around her and led her over to the couch. Once her sobbing subsided, he said, "If the doctors got the bullets out, I'm sure he's going to be fine. Gabriel never gives in and you know it. What makes you think he will this time?"

"I'm just so scared. Seth, it was cops that did this."

"Why would cops want to shoot him?"

Renee shook her head. "Sara said they were trying to get at her through him. They're dirty."

"He's going to be fine. And Sara will take care of them. You know she can. Renee, you should get some rest. I'll take care of the kids for a while."

She gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Seth."

Up in her room, Renee undressed and slid under the covers, curling her knees up to her chest. Sleep wouldn't come. The only times they slept apart was when one of them had to stay in the hospital overnight. When that happened, Renee couldn't sleep. She had grown too accustomed to the feel and warmth of his body next to her.

She tossed from her back to her stomach, to her side, then back to her stomach. It was no use. She flipped on the light and picked up her book from the table by the bed. She didn't even see the words. Throwing it on the bed in disgust, she swung her feet to the floor and pulled her clothes back on. When she stepped to the door, Renee heard the sound of crying coming from downstairs.

She ran down the steps and saw Seth walking around the living room with Parker against his shoulder. He saw her coming and stopped. "I'm sorry, Renee. I can't get him to stop."

"It's okay, Seth," she said, taking her son from him.

"Hey, baby, what's wrong? Mama's here." Parker quieted slightly at the familiar voice. "Seth, could you get him a bottle. That might be all he wants."

Twenty minutes later Parker fell asleep in Renee's arms, only half finished with his bottle. She took him upstairs and laid him in his crib. She stood there for a minute, just watching him sleep.

When she walked downstairs, Seth asked her, "You get him to go down?"

"Yeah."

"What about you? You get any sleep?"

"No. I'm so scared. What am I going to do if he dies?"

"You're not going to worry about it. He's going to be fine. Now, go sit down, and I'll make some lunch."

Renee did as he said. Amie climbed onto the couch and laid her head against her mother's arm. Her soft brown eyes met the darker ones. "Daddy gone?" She asked.

Renee took her daughter in her arms and sat her on her lap. "Your daddy's coming back. He's gonna be fine."

"Pwomise?"

Renee's heart broke at the innocence in her daughter's face. She had no idea what had happened even though she saw part of it. All she knew was that Daddy was hurt and had been taken away by the bad men. She didn't know he was fighting for his life, didn't know he might never return. And Renee couldn't tell her this either. The little girl didn't even realize her mother wouldn't be able to keep that promise. She said it anyway.

"I promise."

*******

"What the hell do you mean 'he's not dead'?" Captain Bruno Dante screamed at the two men standing in his office. "You were supposed to kill him after getting what we needed. What happened?"

"Someone interfered," Burgess tried to explain.

"Well, why didn't you stop him?"

"It was that freak, Nottingham."

"I don't care who the damn person was." Dante took a calming breath. "Did you at least get anything out of him before you let him get away."

Both Orlinsky and Burgess stared at the floor.

"Well?"

"He wouldn't talk. We couldn't get him to."

Dante sighed in frustration. Why couldn't these two ever do anything right? An idea came to him. "He has a family. Get his wife, his kids, whatever. I don't really care. That, I'm sure, will make talking more worthwhile to him. Now get out of here."

The men nodded and left the office.

*******

Renee stared at the ceiling in the darkness. She had given up on sleep hours ago. Parker had slept for the last hour so she knew he would be up soon. That's wasn't the only reason though. She wanted her husband laying beside her. She wanted him to be healthy and without injury again. 'Hell,' she thought to herself. She just wanted to be with him.

Crying from her sons' room brought her out of her thoughts. Pulling a robe on, she hurried down the hall. She lifted Parker out of the crib. "Can't you sleep, baby?" Not wanting his crying to wake up his brother, she carried him downstairs.

Her youngest song had never slept through a whole night through. In fact, Amie and Aidan were the only two who ever had. This happened to be worse than usual though. He usually slept for more than an hour at a time. She wished she knew what was wrong. She walked into the kitchen and made a bottle for him. when she gave it to him, the baby turned his head from it. "Not hungry? What's wrong then, baby?" 'I wish he could just tell me. Think with the fourth I'd have it figured out by now,' she thought to herself.

She sang softly to him hoping her voice, no matter how out-of- tune it was, would calm him. After several minutes, it worked. His crying quieted, and he sniffled a few times. Once he fell asleep again, she carried him up to his crib. She didn't want to return to her room, to the silence, to the cold, empty bed.

Instead, she walked back downstairs. As she stepped onto the floor, she felt a draft of cold air then heard the soft click of the front door closing. She froze where she stood. Her beat faster as she tried to think straight. Seth was upstairs, but he was sleeping. There was a phone by the couch. Could she reach it and dial for help in time. Did she have time to run upstairs and reach the phone there. She could certainly try. She turned, but her hesitation killed any chance she had to start with.

A hand reached out and grabbed her arm as she started to run up the stairs. "And where do you think you're going?" A taunting voice asked.

She drew all the air she could gather into her lungs, but before she could scream, the man's other hand clamped down on her mouth. He dragged her away from the stairs and threw her onto the couch. The moonlight shining through the window revealed his slight growth of hair around his chin. His brown eyes traveled over her body, which was only covered by the thin robe, and he ran his fingers through his short brown hair. She saw brute strength in his thick shoulders when Burgess advanced on her.

"Your husband wouldn't answer our questions when it concerned his life. Maybe he'll have more regard to yours."

"Se-"

The palm of his hand connecting with the side of her face momentarily stunned her. "The captain didn't say what we were to do with you in the meantime. Guess that's up to me now."

She opened her mouth to scream again, but he quickly covered it with his. She bit his tongue as it entered her mouth. "Damn bitch!" He managed to keep his voice at a whisper. He forced her down on the couch, keeping on hand against her chest to keep her there, unzipped his pants. Then, he climbed on top of her.

Renee's heartbeat quickened. Her memory assaulted her with visions of the last time this happened, only this time she did have the chance to fight back.* He untied her rope and took in the sight before him. Renee writhed under him, trying to get free. He put all of his weight on top of her, trapping her. His hands moved to her breasts, fondling them. Then, they moved down her stomach, around her hips, and to the inside of her thighs. She tried fighting away from him, but it was no use.

Burgess sat with his legs pushing hers into the couch. She could move her upper body, but her legs were held immobile. She battered at his head with her arms, even tried clawing at her face, even though she lacked sharp or even long nails. Nothing deterred him.

She felt like she was going to vomit, but nothing came up. She screamed when she felt his fingers moving up inside her. All she could think of was Patrick Fairbanks and what he did to her. Burgess slammed his unoccupied fist into her jaw. Tears sprang from her eyes and she couldn't stop them. He withdrew his hand from her a moment later.

"Stop crying. You'll enjoy this."

She closed her eyes, her body shaking from fright. Suddenly, she heard Seth calling her name. "Renee, what's going- Hey!"

The weight of the body lifted from her, but she still trembled. She heard the door slam then Seth stop by the couch. "Renee?"

She took a shaky breath and sat up on the couch. "I-I'm f-fine, Seth," she stuttered.

"No, you're not. What happened?"

"I couldn't sleep. Parker woke up again. He finally went back to sleep, but I couldn't stand the thought of any more time in that room alone. Came down here, and he was in here. Excuse me," she said as she ran from the room.

Seth waited a few minutes then followed. By the time he reached the bathroom, she was straightening up from the toilet. She could still feel that man, that man who wasn't her husband, all over her body.

"Did he?"

She shook her head. "You got down here in time." She turned her head to look at him. "Please don't tell Gabe."

"Renee-"

"Do. Not. Tell. My. Husband."

His eyes were sad when he nodded his head. "If that's the way you want it. But he needs to know."

When Seth left the room, Renee sank to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. "But he'd just get himself killed.

*Truth in Pieces