McCall's journey
I was tired, had enough. Wanted to get away from the stress, the murders, the rapes, the emotions, the job in general and most of all Hunter. I needed to sort out my head, my feelings and catch up on some sleep. So I took some leave and left LA behind me.
"So you are just gonna leave me?" Hunter said disappointed, she sighed. "Yes, I need this trip and I need to be alone." "Are you sure?" he tried, pulling a face. "Stop pouting Hunter. I'll see you in a week or two and I promise to send you a postcard." The relieved feeling she got when she walked out the building scared her, 'I must be really needing this' she thought. A few hours later McCall was on her way, she had borrowed her brother's four-wheel drive so her drive to the mountains of Colorado would be a smooth one. By the end of the day she arrived in a small town and found a hotel. "Hello, I'd like a room for the night," McCall said to the lady behind the counter. "Just passing through?" she wanted to know. "Yes I'm on my way to Colorado for a holiday." "Oh how nice. You are in room 14. Dinner is at seven, breakfast at nine." "Thank you." The room was nice and clean. After a quick shower McCall went down for dinner and then to bed. The next morning she decided to leave early so she would arrive at the cabin she rented in the early evening. But things didn't go as planned.
Driving through the beautiful countryside McCall was really enjoying herself, singing along with the CD she had put on and not even thinking about work and Hunter. Then the car started to make an awful noise, smoke was coming from under the hood. "What! Damn car," she cried out. Luckily McCall just drove into the little town of Sun Mountain and managed to get the car to the local garage. She got out thinking, 'Even Hunters car would have made it further,' and walked in to the workshop. The mechanic took a long look at the car, "The radiator is broke," he concluded "Needs a new one," "How long before you have it fixed?" "Well I'll have to order a new one. About a week." "A week! But I have to be at my holiday address tonight." "Sorry lady, things don't go that fast around here." McCall took a deep breath to calm down, "I don't have a choice then, can you tell me where the hotel is?" The mechanic looked at her, "Hotel? We don't have one." "Oh, great." "But I think Maggie has got a room left, she runs a boardinghouse." "Sounds fine to me, where can I find her?" "I'll take you. The name is Tom by the way." "Hi, I'm DeeDee."
He took her to this beautiful old house on the edge of town, it looked like a house from 'Little house on the prairie'. A big porch with a rocking chair on it, colorful curtains in front of the windows and as they approached the house you could smell fresh backed apple pie. "Hey Maggie, I brought you a new guest!" Tom yelled. A woman, a little older than McCall, came out the door, "Hi welcome, I'm Maggie." "Hi, I'm DeeDee McCall." "DeeDee's car broke down, radiator trouble," Tom explained, "It will take at least a week to fix it." "Well, you can stay here," Maggie said to McCall. "Great, do you have a phone I can use? A lot of people will be worried if I don't contact them." "Yeah, It's just down the hall." First she called her brother, who wasn't happy to say the least. Then she called the people she had rented the cabin from that she wasn't going to make it and last she called Hunter. "Hi, It's me. I'm kinda stranded in this little town called Sun Mountain. The radiator broke," she could here Hunter holding his laugh on the other end. "This isn't funny Rick!" "What is it with women and cars, they just don't mix." "Well I'm gonna be stuck here for at least a week, but when I get back." "Ho down girl, just kidding. Do you want me to come up there?" "No, I've got to drive the car back myself anyway. I'll see you next week." "Ok, be careful." "Yes dad, bye." "Bye" "Your boyfriend?" Maggie wanted to know, "No my partner," "Partner?" "He's my working partner." "Ah. Well let me show you your room." Maggie took McCall upstairs to a small but cozy bedroom. "The bathroom is down the hall on the right. I'll leave you to unpack." she said as she walked out. "Thanks." McCall started to unpack her stuff; on her way to the wardrobe she glanced out the window and saw Maggie and Tom talking. She could tell by their body language that there was more going on. Later that evening McCall was sitting out on the porch enjoying the view. "Do you mind if I join you?" Maggie asked. "No not at all, I was just admiring the view. It's so beautiful here." "Yeah it is. I've been living here all my life and it still amazes me every day. Where are you from if you don't mind me asking?" "I'm from LA." "Ah the big city." McCall smiled, "No wonder you spend your holidays up here." "LA has it's beautiful spots too you know. Ever been there?" "Yeah once, couldn't wait to get back here." They had a great evening talking and laughing. The next morning McCall woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. She hopped out of bed, took a quick shower, got dressed and went downstairs. "That smells good Maggie." "Thank you. Sit down I'll get you a plate." While they were enjoying the breakfast a car came racing up to the house. A young man jumped out and came barging into the kitchen, "Jason what's the rush," Maggie asked him. "The garage," he stumbled still catching his breath, "It's on fire." "What!!" Maggie jumped up, so did McCall and they followed Jason to the garage.
A lot of people had gathered to watch and the fire department from the nearby village had just arrived. "I don't see Tom anywhere," Maggie said to McCall with fear in her eyes. Without thinking McCall ran into the burning building to find Tom. She covered her mouth with a towel she found on her way in and kept as low to the floor as possible. Tom was lying on the living room floor coughing his lungs out when she reached him, "Tom It's me DeeDee. I'm getting you out of here, come on." McCall handed him the towel, "Put this over your nose and mouth and keep as low to the ground as you can ok." Tom nodded and together they crawled to the back door. The second they came out the door McCall heard a fireman yell, "Get down, It's gonna blow!" She pushed Tom to the ground and a big explosion followed. They could feel all kinds of debris falling on them as they lay face down in the grass. "Are you ok?" McCall asked Tom, "Yeah I think so. How about you?" "I'll live." The two of them stood up and walked through the smoke towards the street. Maggie saw them and rushed towards them followed by Jason, "Are you alright? DeeDee you're bleeding," she cried. McCall touched her head and saw the blood on her fingers, "Ouch, something must have hit me." The local doctor did a quick exam of the both of them and send them to the nearest hospital for stitches and because they inhaled a lot of smoke. The doctor at the hospital wanted to keep them for a night just in case and put them in a room together. After Maggie had left McCall and Tom talked for a while, "I guess you can't fix my car now can you?" she said to Tom. "I don't think so, I'm sorry." "You can't help it. I'll have to tell my brother though, he will be so mad." Tom grinned. "Do you have any idea how this fire started?" she wanted to know. "I have my suspicions, but I can't prove anything and the sheriff won't investigate this." McCall remembered seeing the sheriff's car from the corner of her eyes, it was parked a couple of yards from the scene. "Why won't he investigate?" she asked. Tom told her about his gang member past in LA, he had been convicted a few times and finally moved here to start over. The sheriff found out about his past and turned the town against him. Maggie was the only person who believed he had turned his life around and helped him start up the garage. She also managed to convince the majority of the people to give him a fair go. After hearing all this McCall decided to call Hunter. "Hunter I need you here." "McCall, what's wrong?" She told him the entire story. "I'm leaving now. I'll be there by tomorrow afternoon. When are they releasing you?" "Tomorrow morning, you can find me at Maggie's." "Ok, see you then." McCall hung up, closed her eyes and dozed off.
The next morning they were released. McCall had to promise she would stay in bed for at least another day even though she felt good. By the time they got back at Maggie's she felt like taking a nap so she went up completely forgetting about Hunter coming. At around two Hunter pulled up at the boardinghouse. Maggie and Tom were sitting in the kitchen talking about the day before when they saw this tall handsome guy walk in. "Hello can I help you?" Maggie asked him. "Yes I think so. I'm Sgt. Hunter, I'm looking for DeeDee McCall." "She's sleeping right now. Are you here because of the fire?" "Actually she called me last night about it. I drove all night to get here today." Maggie looked at him and then it hit her, "Wait a minute, you are her partner." "Yeah I am." "She told me about you, but she didn't tell me she was with the police." "May I know what room she's in so I can tell her I'm here?" "Sure, upstairs last room on the left." "Thanks." Maggie looked at Tom, "No wonder she is keeping him a secret, he's cute." Hunter went upstairs and opened the door to her room quietly. She was still asleep so he watched her for a while. Very gently he stroked her cheek, "DeeDee wake up," he whispered. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, "Hunter? What time is it?" she tried to sit up, "Oh my head." and lay back down again. "Easy," Hunter said worried, "Why don't you try to sleep some more and I'll go take a look at that garage, see if I can find anything." "I think that's a good idea," she said weakly and closed her eyes again. Hunter walked to the door and opened it to go out, "Rick." he turned towards McCall, "Yeah." "Thank you." "That's ok, what are partners for." He left her room and closed the door behind him thinking 'DeeDee McCall how did you get yourself into this mess.'
He went downstairs and joined Maggie and Tom at the kitchen table, "Didn't DeeDee come down with you?" Maggie asked. "No, her head still hurts so she stayed in bed." "I see, I'll go and ask her if she needs anything." "Do you think you can find out who set my garage on fire?" Tom asked Hunter. "I hope so, can you tell me what happened?" "I was in my bedroom getting dressed when I heard the sound of breaking glass. It came from the workshop so I went to see what was going on. When I opened the door I saw flames coming at me so I closed it quickly, it spread so fast. Before I knew it I was on the floor cause I couldn't breathe, that's when DeeDee found me." "Sounds like a flammable liquid was used. Why don't we take a look at the place." "Yeah, fine with me." Maggie had come down and Tom told her he and Hunter were going to take a look at the garage. Tom had a hard time looking at the place, he didn't understand why this had to happen to him. "Let's go through your story again." Hunter said to him "Where was the bedroom?" "Right here," Tom took him to what used to be the bedroom. "Ok, you heard the sound of breaking glass coming from the workshop, which is where." "Through this door and that door." they walked through the rubble to what used to be the workshop, a burned car still in it. "That's DeeDee's car," Tom said quietly. Before Hunter could say anything they were interrupted, "What do you think you are doing here?" It was the voice of Sheriff Walker. Hunter flashed him his badge, "Sgt. Hunter, LAPD. Tom was showing me what happened here." "This is out of your jurisdiction and none of your business Sgt," Sheriff Walker was getting on Hunter's nerves but he stayed calm. "This vehicle here," pointing at McCall's burned car "Is property of the LAPD, so I'm making it my business. I want to know what caused this fire." "According to forensics something short circuited, case closed." Hunter frowned, "Case closed huh. I hope you don't mind me asking for a copy of the forensics report so the department can collect the insurance money on the car." "No not at all, you can pick it up at my office first thing in the morning." "Thank you. We'll go, I've seen enough for now." Hunter and Tom walked to the car; Sheriff Walker watched them as they drove away. "Did you believe what the Sheriff said?" Tom asked Hunter. "No way, he's either lying or keeping something from us. The wires looked petty safe to me and I saw two kinds of glass on the floor. Let's wait what the report has to say."
Meanwhile at Maggie's McCall had woken up and came out of bed. "Hey how are you feeling?" Maggie asked her, "Pretty good, my head still hurts but it's not so bad anymore." "Why don't you go sit outside on the porch and I'll make us some tea." "Good idea." she went out, sat down on one of the rocking chairs and covered herself with the blanket she brought. Maggie came out with the tea and some homemade applepie. "I'm being spoiled here," McCall remarked. Maggie smiled, put the tray down so she could sit down herself and got a serious look on her face, "You know DeeDee, I don't know how to thank you for saving the life of the person I love. Being a police officer you probably consider it part of your job, but still." "You are right, I consider it part of my job and just thank you is alright. I would do it again." Maggie smiled. "So I was right in thinking there was something more going on between you two." McCall said. Maggie blushed, "That obvious huh. We've been keeping it a secret for almost a year now. I know Tom told you about his past and how people reacted to him living here. I just hope we can be happy here someday." "You will, he looks like a real nice guy." "Thanks, he is. What about Hunter?" "What about him." "How long have you known him?" "We've been partners for about five years now. I met him the night my husband Steve was murdered. Hunter was the one who had to tell me. He's just been there ever since." "Sorry about your husband." "Thanks." They went silent, drinking their tea and thinking their own thoughts. "Do you ever wonder if you'll find someone to love like that again?" Maggie asked her, "Like Steve? I don't know. I don't fall in love easily but when I do it's real." At that moment the guys pulled up to the house. Hunter saw McCall sitting there as he walked up the porch, "Hey, how are you doing?" "Good enough to sit here," she replied with a smile. "You guys want something to drink?" Maggie asked them, "Yeah, some of that tea would be nice," Hunter replied. "I'll help you," Tom said as he followed her in. "What's with those two," Hunter asked McCall. "Love Hunter." "Oh." "What did you find out?" "That the Sheriff is in it up to his eyeballs. He said forensics found out that the fire was caused because something short- circuited, but I found no evidence of that. What I did find were two kinds of glass on the floor. I bet it was caused by some flammable substance." Tom and Maggie had joined them. " I can get the forensics report from the Sheriff's office tomorrow, that will be interesting reading material. Oh, I told him your car was police property." "Doesn't matter, my brother's gonna kill me anyway." Hunter threw her a look that made her smile. "I'll sort him out for you," he said. "Oh no, you're not. I can fight my own battles thank you very much." The four of them stayed out and talked till late in the evening.
McCall was lying in bed looking at the ceiling thinking about what she and Maggie were talking about earlier that day. 'Will there ever be someone that I'll love the way I loved Steve? One part of me wants to, the other part of me is afraid. Afraid that I will lose that love the way I lost Steve. And what about Hunter, I care for him he's my safteynet. The person I can always count on day and night when I need him, no questions asked. I would give my life for him if I have to and he'll do the same for me. But Hunter as my lover?' She closed her eyes and fell asleep. Hunter was still awake, lying on his bed in the room next to McCall's, worrying about her. He had watched her the most of the evening and could tell that she wasn't feeling well. She looked pale and tired. He slipped out of bed and out of his room. Very slowly he opened her bedroom door, put his head around it and saw her sound asleep. He wrapped himself in the blanket that he had taken from his bed and made himself comfortable in the big chair that was standing in the corner. As soon as he lay his head down he fell asleep. McCall woke up in the middle of the night cause her head was pounding and hurting. She sat up in bed and her eye fell on a figure sitting in the chair. After she turned the bed light on she saw it was Hunter. 'Why is he sleeping here?' she thought and decided to wake him. "Hunter, wake up." "Huh, what. McCall are you alright?" "Yeah, except for the headache that woke me. What are you doing here." Hunter rubbed his eyes and looked straight at her, "I watched you last night, you looked tired and sick. I was worried so I decided to keep an eye on you." McCall didn't know what to say to him, all kinds of emotions were racing through her. Finally she spoke, "You could get me some aspirin and a glass of water." He smiled, "I will," and left the room. She lay her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. 'Rick Hunter you don't know how glad I am to have you here,' she thought. "Here you go," Hunter said as he handed her the aspirin and the water, she took them. "You know, I'll be glad when they take the stitches out at the end of the week. Then I can wash my hair. You can still smell the fire." Hunter stroked her curly hair, "It feels dirty too." Shivers ran up McCall's spine as he touched her. "Try to get some sleep. You need it. I'll stay with you." She lay back again and Hunter turned off the light before going back to the chair. "Hunter." "Yeah." "Sleep well." "You too."
The next morning McCall woke up at around nine, she looked if Hunter was still sleeping but he wasn't there. She got out of bed, got dressed and went downstairs. "Good morning," she said to Maggie as she entered the kitchen, "Good morning, did you sleep well," "Not bad, I woke up last night with a headache, but taking a few aspirins helped." Maggie smiled, "Yeah Hunter told me." "He actually slept in the chair last night." "He told me that too." McCall gave Maggie a 'what didn't he tell you' look. "He's in the den reading the forensic file," Maggie said as she handed McCall two cups of coffee. She entered the den and saw Hunter sitting on the couch reading, "Anything interesting in there?" she asked as she handed him the coffee. "Thanks. Oh just what I expected, not much." he took a sip from his coffee. "Hmm, Maggie sure knows how to make this." "Yeah, It's better than the ditchwater at work," McCall agreed. "Don't keep me in the dark here Hunter, what does the report say." "Here read for yourself," he handed her the file. After reading a few lines the letters started to dance around on the paper, "I think you're gonna have to tell me, reading and concussion don't mix." Hunter looked at her, he had that worried look in his eyes again. "Don't look at me like that Hunter, I'm not gonna break in two," McCall said angrily. "Sorry," he said softly. At that moment Maggie put her head around the door, "I'm going into town to get some groceries, can I bring you anything?" "No thanks," Hunter said not taking his eyes off McCall. "Nothing for me either," McCall said still looking at Hunter. "Ok, I'll be back in a couple of hours." 'I wonder what that was all about,' Maggie thought as she walked to her car. Back in the house McCall broke the silent stare, "What about the report Hunter." "As I thought it says cause of fire a short circuit due to faulty wires. It has no pictures in it to back this up. I called Harry this morning, he's driving up here to take a look. I'll introduce him to Sheriff Walker as the insurance expert who's gonna take a look at your car." "Good thinking, when's Harry gonna be here?" "Any moment now."
"Hi Harry, nice to see you," Hunter greeted him and shook his hand. "Hunter, McCall. Sure a nice place for a holiday. Let's get down to business, where's this place?" "Not so fast Harry. We need to go by the Sheriff first to introduce you as the insurance man and hope he'll fall for it." "If he really is the idiot you told me about that won't be a problem." "Ok, let's go," Hunter looked at McCall, "I'll be fine," she said. "I know, see ya later." Maggie loaded the last of her groceries in the car when she saw Hunter and another man leave the Sheriff's office. She crossed the road and walked in. "Well well Maggie, what can I do for you." "Cut the crap Bert. Hunter will find out who set fire to Tom's garage, but I think I already know." "Are you threatening an officer of the law Maggie?" "Come on! You have been making my life hell ever since we divorced and especially since I met Tom. If this is another one of your stunts Hunter will get you." "Get out before I lock you up." Maggie turned around and left. "This Hunter character is going to be a big problem," Sheriff Walker said to his deputy Chris Mason, "We gotta do something fast." "You were right Hunter, the cause of this fire sure wasn't a short circuit, the place was set on fire deliberately. I have to run some tests but I guess they used gasoline." "Great. Now we have to link this to someone." "I'll see if I can lift some prints off the pieces of glass I took, otherwise it will be a difficult one to prove." "I know but I'm gonna try anyway." "Good luck Hunter, I'll have the results for you as soon as possible." "Thanks Harry, I owe you one." Harry left and Hunter walked to his car deep in thought when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He fell against the car, an arm grabbed him in a way so he couldn't turn his head around and a low voice said: "This is a warning Sgt. Stay out of this or the next time you won't be so lucky." The person struck him again and he blacked out. A cold and feeling made him come too, his eyes fluttered open and stared into a pair of eyes he knew all to well, McCall's. "Tom found you at the garage and brought you here. What happened?" "Harry had just left and I walked to my car. Someone hit me from behind. He said I should keep out of this or else then it went black." "Did you see the guy?" "No, he held me in a way so I couldn't turn around." Hunter sat up slowly, 'Now I know how you feel," he groaned. "Yeah, nice couple we are," McCall smiled. "So any idea about the fire yet?" "Harry found enough to test and he'll have the results as soon as he can. My feeling that Sheriff Walker is involved is only getting stronger." Maggie, who had just come up to see how Hunter was doing, overheard the last thing Hunter had said. She entered the room, "I think you might be right," she said. Both Hunter and McCall looked at her with a questioning look. "I have to tell you something. I saw you and this other man leave the Sheriff's office this morning, Sheriff Walker used to be my husband, we got divorced last year and he's been making my life difficult ever since. It's gotten worse since I met Tom. After I saw you leave I went over there and told him that you would find out he was behind this and put a stop to it. I guess it's my fault you got hit." "Well it certainly makes him my number one suspect." Hunter said to her. "Why didn't you tell us," McCall asked Maggie. "I don't know. I was afraid of what could happen. I know what he's like." "I'm glad you told us Maggie. Now we can do something about it." Hunter said.
Later that evening the four of them were watching TV in the den. Hunter was looking at Tom and Maggie, Tom had his arm around her and she leaned against him. They looked real happy. Then he felt something leaning against his shoulder, It was McCall's head she had fallen asleep. Very carefully he lifted her from the couch, "I think I'll put her to bed and turn in myself, we've got a busy day tomorrow." he said to Tom and Maggie. "Ok, goodnight then." "Goodnight." Hunter took her up to her room and lay her on the bed. She turned on her side and kept on sleeping so he covered her with the blankets. "Sleep tight DeeDee," he whispered and went to his own room. In bed Hunter was going over the scene of the fire through his mind, 'I'm missing something,' he thought 'I checked the place thoroughly but still. I'll take McCall there tomorrow, maybe she'll see something I haven't.' he turned off the light and went to sleep. The next morning Hunter woke up because someone sat down on his bed, he looked into the sleepy eyes of McCall. He sat up, "How did I get into my bed?" she asked with her low morning voice. "I put you in, you fell asleep on the couch." "Oh." "Did you sleep well, you look tired." "Yeah, I did. My head feels a bit heavy that's all." "Do you feel up to going with me to the garage today? I want to take another look, I've got the feeling I'm missing something vital. Maybe you see something I don't." "Sure. I'll feel better after a shower." Hunter gave her a look, "Oh I can't. The stitches. I'll go wash instead." she got off the bed and walked out. While getting dressed McCall's mind wandered to the conversation with Maggie again, 'What about Hunter.' The inner battle with her feelings was beginning to wear her out, 'Maybe I should just give in to these feelings I have for him, It's easier than fighting. But it's hard to set aside the fear.' She went down to the kitchen, found Hunter already sitting at the table eating and sat across from him. "Want some toast?" he asked, "I'd love some." she watched him go to the toaster to put some bread in, "Will you get me some coffee too?" "Sure." At that moment Maggie walked in, "Goodmorning, how's the head?" "Fine." both of them replied. They all looked at each other and broke into laughter. After breakfast Hunter and McCall went to the garage to take another look around. "This is where I went in," McCall said walking through the side door. "I kept as low as possible holding a towel over my mouth and nose. The first door I opened was the one to the livingroom where I found Tom, I gave him the towel and we went this way to the back door," she led Hunter out back. "We were about here when I heard a fireman yell that the building was gonna blow up. I pushed Tom to the ground and there was a big explosion. When we got to Maggie she told me I was bleeding, I never noticed anything hitting me." Hunter looked at her, "You could have been killed in there." "So could Tom. I just couldn't leave him in there." she looked Hunter straight in the eye, "You are not gonna tell me you wouldn't have done the same." "No, I would have." he put his hand on her shoulder, "You did good McCall." At that moment all she wanted was to put her arms around him and hold him close, but she didn't. She took control of her feelings, "What is it you want me to take a look at?" "The whole scene, maybe you'll find something I missed." McCall walked around and inside the burned building, looking at everything but not finding anything new. "Sorry Hunter." "It was worth the try. Let's hope Harry found something." They got in the car and went back to Maggie's. "Someone named Harry called while you were out," Maggie said to them when they arrived, "He wants you to call him back." Hunter took the phone and dialed the number, "Harry? It's Hunter what did you find. Hmm. Ah. Yeah, ok thanks I owe you big for this one." "Well??" McCall looked at him anxiously. "He found a print on a piece of glass and ran it through the computer. He came up with a name: Chris Mason." "That's Sheriff Walker's deputy," Maggie said. "That's the break we need," Hunter replied with a big smile on his face. "Just one slight problem here Hunter, we can't bring him in. It's not our jurisdiction." "I thought of that so I called Charlie and he took care of it. He managed to get us permission to handle this investigation and if we have enough evidence we can arrest the guy and play Sheriff for a while here until replacement comes. I think we got enough to arrest them on suspicion of arson and conspiracy to murder." "I'm impressed Big Guy, you thought of everything as usual. Well, let's get to work." Hunter called Charlie to fill him in on the evidence they had, so he could make sure Hunter got all the paperwork he needed and sent it over the fax. McCall typed up the report, as usual and when everything was done they headed for the Sheriff's office. When they arrived the door was locked, but the car was still parked outside. "I'm going around the back to take a look," Hunter said to McCall. "Ok, I'll wait here." With his gun drawn he walked through the small alley to the back of the building, the back door was also locked. Hunter looked through the window but because it was dark inside he couldn't see much, he went back to McCall. "The back door is locked too." "Do you think he saw us coming?" "Could be. I wonder if someone tipped him off." "Now what." "I'll put the word out that they are on the run. Let's go back to Maggie's and I'll ask her if she knows about some spare keys to the office so we can at least get in there." "Sounds fine with me." They got into the car and headed to Maggie's. "You look tired," Hunter said to her, "I am tired. It's been a long day," McCall replied. "Before I forget, I've got an appointment at the hospital tomorrow. My stitches are coming out. Will you go with me?" "Yeah sure." Maggie heard them pull up and came out, "Did you arrest them?" "No, they seem to be on the run," Hunter said, "Do you happen to know if and where there are any spare keys to the office?" "I still have a set of keys, Bert never collected them after the divorce. I'll get them for you." She left to get the keys and joined them in the kitchen for dinner. After they had finished McCall said she was going to bed. "She looked very tired," Maggie said to Hunter. "She said she was when we drove up here," he said with a worried look on his face. "You look worried." "I am. She means a lot to me, I don't like to see her this way." Maggie smiled, "What is it?" Hunter asked her. "She told me the same about you. That you mean a lot to her." "She did huh. Well when you have a job like ours you have to be close cause your life depends on the other. I'd better turn in too, she asked me if I could come with her to the hospital tomorrow." "Oh that's right, her stitches are coming out. Goodnight then." "Goodnight." Before going to his room Hunter checked in on McCall, she was peacefully asleep. 'You mean more to me than you know' he thought and closed the door.
When Hunter came down for breakfast the next morning McCall was already sitting at the kitchen table eating. "Good morning, you look good today," he greeted her. "Good morning yourself. I feel good knowing I can finally take a shower tonight," she replied. Hunter smiled, "Maggie not here?" "No, she and Tom left early to spend a nice day together." For a brief moment their eyes locked, then Hunter turned around to make his breakfast. When they had finished they left for the hospital. It was silent in the car during the drive, Hunter was keeping his eyes on the road and McCall was staring out the window. Her inner thoughts still having that battle, the thought of Hunter as her lover going through her mind over and over. He looked at her and saw she was a mile away, "A penny for your thoughts," he said to her. "Nothing Hunter, just enjoying the view," she lied. "Yeah it is gorgeous out here, we should do this more often." "We should do what more often?" "Take some leave and explore the country we live in." She looked at him, didn't say a word, just smiled and shook her head. "Is it such a bad idea?" "No Hunter, it isn't." They arrived at the hospital right on time, Hunter dropped McCall off at the main entrance and went to find a place to park the car. When he walked back a silver car drove by and he recognized the men inside, they were Sheriff Walker and deputy Mason. They had seen Hunter walk towards the entrance and drove into the parking lot. Inside Hunter went to the first phone he could find and called the local police to explain the situation. Meanwhile McCall was in the doctor's office having the stitches removed. "Your wound healed up nicely Sgt." the doctor told her, "How are you feeling? No more headaches or dizzy spells?" "No, not for the last couple of days." "Well, then I don't have to see you again. You are done." "Thank you," she shook the doctor's hand and left. When she met Hunter down the hall she could tell there was something wrong, "What's wrong Hunter." "Sheriff Walker and his deputy are outside in that silver car. They spotted me when I parked the car. I called the local police for backup. Let's get them." "Ok, let's go." With their guns drawn they left the hospital through the side entrance, outside they split up. Hunter positioned himself behind the silver car while McCall took cover near the front. At Hunter's signal she jumped in front of them, pointed her gun at them and yelled: "Police, put your hands out the window where I can see them. NOW!" Hunter stood up behind the car, "You heard the lady, NOW!" he yelled. Sheriff Walker started the car and looked straight at McCall. She repeated herself: "Turn off the car and put your hands out the window!" Before they could make their next move Sheriff Walker hit the gas, the car jumped forward and McCall went flying over it. "DeeDee, NO!" Hunter cried out as he rushed to his partner who was lying motionless on the ground. Two patrol cars of the local police managed to stop the silver car and arrest Sheriff Walker and deputy Mason. "DeeDee talk to me please," Hunter pleaded as he kneeled besides her and held her head. She opened her eyes slowly, "It hurts Hunter," she said with a weak voice. "Where does it hurt?" "Everywhere." A couple of nurses came running out to the scene of the accident, put McCall on a gurney and rushed her inside to the ER. Hunter had to stay out and wait. One of the police officers who arrested Sheriff Walker and his deputy came over to him, "How is she?" he asked. "I don't know yet, the doctor is looking at her now." "I'm taking the prisoners to our stationhouse. Is there anything I can tell our Captain?" "I'll come by when I know my partner's alright and fill him in on the situation." "That's fine, take your time." "Ok, thanks." The officer left and Hunter went to the phone to call Maggie and tell her what happened but she and Tom hadn't returned yet, no one was answering. He went to sit in the waiting room and fifteen minutes later the doctor came in, "Sgt. Hunter?" "Yeah, how is she?" "She's gonna be fine. She has some severe bruises and a sprained ankle. I'd like to keep her overnight just to be on the safe side." "Can I see her?" "Sure, I'll take you to her." He took Hunter to her room, "We gave her some painkillers so she might be a bit drowsy." "Thanks doctor." he said and entered the room. McCall was lying with her eyes closed but when she heard Hunter's voice she opened them and saw him coming him. "Hi," she whispered when he stood next to her bed, "Hi yourself, how's the pain?" "Not so bad after the painkillers, I'll live." "Good, I need someone to write the reports," he joked. McCall laughed, "Ouch Hunter don't, laughing hurts." They looked at each other, "You scared me DeeDee," Hunter said with a serious tone in his voice. "I'm sorry." she whispered, "You don't have to apologize, just get well." He took her hand in his and with the other he stroked her cheek, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Hunter tried to call Maggie again and this time she answered the phone, he told her what happened and she told him that they would be there in an hour. Hunter got a cup of coffee and went back to McCall's room. Sitting next to her bed, drinking his coffee, watching her sleep he was thinking, 'If I just had the guts to tell you how I feel about you, how I need you. That you are the reason I get up in the morning and love going to work every day. Maybe I should risk everything and tell you, get it out of my system.' "I love you DeeDee," he whispered as he gently touched her hand. She stirred but didn't wake up. Maggie was just walking in when she saw Hunter touch McCall's hand, 'I have to try and bring those two together.' she thought. She walked up to Hunter and put her hand on his shoulder, "How is she?" "Hey Maggie," he got up and hugged her, "She's ok, sleeping now. They gave her something for the pain. Where's Tom?" "He should be here any minute. He let me out and went to find a place for the car." McCall woke up, "Maggie?" "Hey, did I wake you?" "Kinda." "How are you feeling?" "Sore. Like I've been run over by a truck." she smiled. "You haven't lost your sense of humor," Maggie said. McCall started to drift back to sleep again, "Get some rest, we'll be here when you wake." At that moment Tom walked in, "Hi, how's the patient?" "Sore and very tired. She's asleep," Maggie told him. "Would you two mind staying with her while I go to the police station. I need to talk to Captain Morris but I don't like to leave her alone now." Hunter asked them. "Not at all, we'll stay with her," Tom said to him, Maggie nodded in agreement. "There is something you should know about Captain Morris. He and Bert are friends, they graduated from the academy together and were partners for two years," Maggie told Hunter. "Great, that's all I need. Thanks for the warning." He walked to the door, turned his head to look at McCall and left. "If I didn't know any better I'd say there's something between them," Tom said to Maggie. "There is Tom, believe me there is."
Hunter walked into the station and reported to the desk sergeant, "Hello, I'm Sgt. Hunter LAPD homicide, I'm here to see Captain Morris." "Take a seat over there please, I'll let him know you are here." "Ok, thanks." Hunter sat down in one of the chairs and after a couple of minutes Captain Morris arrived. "Sgt. Hunter?" "Yes." "You are here about your two prisoners I presume?" "I am." "Can we talk first in my office." "Sure." He followed Captain Morris to his office and they both sat down. "I'm glad there's enough evidence to put those two away," Captain Morris said, "You are?" Hunter said a little surprised. "Ah, Maggie told you about Sheriff Walker and me right?" "Yes, she did." "But she didn't know that I knew what he was doing to her, even when they were married. Bert had several girlfriends on the side and I suspected him of beating Maggie up. I could never make it stick cause she had her excuses ready for the black eyes and the bruises. When she finally divorced him and met Tom I was hoping she had found the right track in her life, but Bert came messing things up again. She and Tom are still together right?" "They sure are and look very happy together." "Good. My best team of detectives interviewed your suspects and they made a full confession when they were faced with the evidence." "Great job. I'll hand it over to the DA now with the added charge of attempted murder of a police officer. They should be behind bars for a long time. Thank you very much for your help." "No thank you for getting them." They shook hands and Hunter left the office. After he dropped everything off at the DA's office and called Charlie to fill him in he went back to the hospital. When he arrived McCall was still sleeping. "Hey, how did it go with Captain Morris?" Tom wanted to know. "Very good, he was glad to see them locked up," Hunter said looking at Maggie. "He told me a bit about how Bert was treating you Maggie. About the affairs and the abuse." Maggie looked at the floor and then at Hunter, "Yeah, he had a string of girls and he beat me up from time to time, but I was scared to tell anyone even Mike Morris. I always suspected he knew, but I didn't know if I could trust him. Turns out I could have." "He also told me he was happy you found Tom." She smiled and reached for Tom's hand, "So am I." "Why don't we get out for a bite to eat," Tom suggested. "Not me," Hunter said to him, "I don't want to leave McCall. I want to be here when she wakes up." "You have got to eat something," Maggie said with concern. "I'll grab something from the cafeteria later." she knew he meant what he said and left it at that, "We'll be back later." "Ok, see you then." Hunter turned around to sit down in the chair when he noticed that McCall was waking up, she opened her eyes and looked at him. "Good morning," he joked, she smiled weakly, "Hi, how did it go at the police station?" "Good, they are going behind bars for a long time." "Works for me." she said with a smile. "I called Charlie to fill him in, he sends his love and told me we could take all the time we needed." "That's nice of him." Hunter sat down on the bed and took her hand, he was just about to say something when the doctor walked in. "How are you feeling at the moment?" he asked. "Pretty sore and tired." "That's because of the painkillers we gave you. I'll be back in the morning and we'll decide if you can go home." "Thanks doctor." The doctor left. "What was it you wanted to say before the doctor came in?" she asked Hunter, "Nothing, it can wait." He didn't dare to look at her knowing she could read him like a book and see that something was eating him. 'Rick Hunter you are gutless,' he thought. McCall knew he was hiding something from her but it would come out in time. "Where have Maggie and Tom gone?" she asked him. "To get a bite to eat. They'll be back later." "Did you have anything to eat yet." "No I haven't, I didn't want to leave you." She put her hand on his, "Go get a bite to eat Rick, I'll be fine." "Yeah you're right, I won't be long." He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead and left for the cafeteria. McCall sank back in her pillow having that thought again she had in the car that morning, 'Admit it McCall, you are madly in love with him, you want nothing more than to be with him, but no courage to tell him. You are a coward DeeDee McCall.'
Maggie and Tom were just returning from their dinner when they saw Hunter sitting on a bench outside the hospital, he was eating something. "Hey Rick," Tom said as they walked up to him, Hunter nodded. He had just taken a bite of his chilidog special, if only McCall could see him now, she would be so disgusted. "What's that you are eating, road kill?" Maggie said with a disgusted look on her face. "What! You are starting to sound like McCall. It's a chilidog special." Tom couldn't hold his laugh anymore, "You better not start having eating habits like that, I might leave you for it," Maggie warned him. Hunter finished his chilidog and the three of them walked to McCall's room who was watching TV. "Did you have something to eat?" she asked as soon as she saw Hunter. "Yes mom," he said pulling a face at her. "It didn't look eatable to me though," Maggie said. McCall looked at him, "Don't tell me, you didn't have a chilidog right?" "No, I had a chilidog special." "Oh, I'm glad I didn't have to watch that," McCall said with disgust. The rest of the evening they spend talking and having fun until it was time to go. They said goodbye to McCall and went to the nearby motel for the night. The next morning Hunter was at the hospital by eight thirty. When he walked into McCall's room the doctor was just finishing his examination. He saw Hunter walk in, "Ah Sgt. Hunter, you can take her home with you as long as she takes it real easy the next few days." Hunter looked at McCall who gave him a look of relief. "I'll make sure she does, thanks doctor." "I'm glad to see the back of this place," she said to him after the doctor had left. "Oh, I hear they have great room service," he joked; McCall threw him a look. "Make yourself useful Big Guy and hand me my clothes." "Do you need some help getting dressed?" "No, I can manage." While McCall got dressed Hunter called Tom at the motel and told him McCall could go home. Tom told him they would meet him there. The nurse brought a wheelchair to take her to the car, with the help of Hunter she sat down in it. "Do we have everything?" she asked. "Let's see, bag, crutches. Yeah everything." "Ok, let's get out of here." Hunter had already brought the car to the entrance and helped he out of the wheelchair into the car. "Are you comfortable?" "In your car? Never! But it will do," she joked. This time it was Hunter's turn to give her a look. He put her stuff in the back and got in. They were about half way when Hunter looked besides him and saw she had fallen asleep.
When they arrived at Maggie's he got out very quietly, took her stuff inside and brought back a blanket. He opened the car door and kneeled down, "DeeDee wake up, we're home," he said while he stroked her cheek. Her eyes opened and she looked at him, "Home? Did I fall asleep?" "Yeah you did. Come on put your arms around my neck, I'll help you out." Carefully he helped her out the car, put the blanket around her and lifted her up in his arms. "Do you want to lie down upstairs or sit on the porch," he wanted to know. "The porch would be nice." Hunter sat her down in the chair and got something to rest her sprained foot on. Maggie watched all this from the kitchen window with a smile on her face. "What's up?" Tom asked her. "They are so good together. They remind me of us when we just got together." "I know what you mean," Tom gave her a kiss. "I'll go see if she wants anything," Maggie said as she left. "Hi," she said to McCall "Glad to be back?" "Sure am, this is better than any hospital." "Can I get you anything?" "Some tea would be nice." "Coming up." Hunter walked back to the kitchen with her, "Maggie I want to ask you something." She turned around to face him, "What is it." "Could you make something special for dinner tonight, I want to." "Yes?" "I have to tell DeeDee something and I want it to be special." Maggie smiled, "Are you finally gonna tell her how you feel." "How did you know." "I'm not blind Hunter, it was more obvious than you know." "Oh," he looked startled. "I'm glad you are telling her, I have a feeling she feels the same way." Hunter let out a sigh of relief. "Leave it to me," Maggie said "It will be a night you both will remember. Now, bring her the tea." she handed him the tray and he went back to McCall. Maggie kept her word and made the most delicious dinner, she brought it to them, lit some candles on the porch and gave Hunter a good luck wink. "This looks and smells great," McCall said. "Why aren't Maggie and Tom joining us?" "Because I wanted to have this dinner just with you," Hunter replied. She looked at him, smiled and started to eat. During the dinner she noticed that Hunter couldn't keep his eyes off her, when they had finished she asked him, "Is there anything you want to tell me?" "Yeah there is," he took is eyes off her for a moment. She took his hand, "Tell me, please." deep inside she knew what he was gonna say. "Ok, here goes," he put his other hand on hers, "DeeDee, the last couple of days made me realize my feelings for you have grown stronger than ever before. I want you with me, I need you, I love you." As the last three words left his lips he didn't dare to look at her. "Rick look at me," she said softly, he did. "You are the one I've been missing in my life, others just weren't good enough. I want you with me too, I need you too, I love you." Tears started to roll down her cheeks, he wiped them away and they shared their first kiss as lovers.
We stayed for another week until the new Sheriff arrived, spending our time walking (as far as my ankle allowed me), talking and being together. I thanked Maggie for putting on the right track. She said I was going the right way but needed that little push and so did Hunter, she was so right. It's like a weight fell off both our shoulders. The journey is over.
I was tired, had enough. Wanted to get away from the stress, the murders, the rapes, the emotions, the job in general and most of all Hunter. I needed to sort out my head, my feelings and catch up on some sleep. So I took some leave and left LA behind me.
"So you are just gonna leave me?" Hunter said disappointed, she sighed. "Yes, I need this trip and I need to be alone." "Are you sure?" he tried, pulling a face. "Stop pouting Hunter. I'll see you in a week or two and I promise to send you a postcard." The relieved feeling she got when she walked out the building scared her, 'I must be really needing this' she thought. A few hours later McCall was on her way, she had borrowed her brother's four-wheel drive so her drive to the mountains of Colorado would be a smooth one. By the end of the day she arrived in a small town and found a hotel. "Hello, I'd like a room for the night," McCall said to the lady behind the counter. "Just passing through?" she wanted to know. "Yes I'm on my way to Colorado for a holiday." "Oh how nice. You are in room 14. Dinner is at seven, breakfast at nine." "Thank you." The room was nice and clean. After a quick shower McCall went down for dinner and then to bed. The next morning she decided to leave early so she would arrive at the cabin she rented in the early evening. But things didn't go as planned.
Driving through the beautiful countryside McCall was really enjoying herself, singing along with the CD she had put on and not even thinking about work and Hunter. Then the car started to make an awful noise, smoke was coming from under the hood. "What! Damn car," she cried out. Luckily McCall just drove into the little town of Sun Mountain and managed to get the car to the local garage. She got out thinking, 'Even Hunters car would have made it further,' and walked in to the workshop. The mechanic took a long look at the car, "The radiator is broke," he concluded "Needs a new one," "How long before you have it fixed?" "Well I'll have to order a new one. About a week." "A week! But I have to be at my holiday address tonight." "Sorry lady, things don't go that fast around here." McCall took a deep breath to calm down, "I don't have a choice then, can you tell me where the hotel is?" The mechanic looked at her, "Hotel? We don't have one." "Oh, great." "But I think Maggie has got a room left, she runs a boardinghouse." "Sounds fine to me, where can I find her?" "I'll take you. The name is Tom by the way." "Hi, I'm DeeDee."
He took her to this beautiful old house on the edge of town, it looked like a house from 'Little house on the prairie'. A big porch with a rocking chair on it, colorful curtains in front of the windows and as they approached the house you could smell fresh backed apple pie. "Hey Maggie, I brought you a new guest!" Tom yelled. A woman, a little older than McCall, came out the door, "Hi welcome, I'm Maggie." "Hi, I'm DeeDee McCall." "DeeDee's car broke down, radiator trouble," Tom explained, "It will take at least a week to fix it." "Well, you can stay here," Maggie said to McCall. "Great, do you have a phone I can use? A lot of people will be worried if I don't contact them." "Yeah, It's just down the hall." First she called her brother, who wasn't happy to say the least. Then she called the people she had rented the cabin from that she wasn't going to make it and last she called Hunter. "Hi, It's me. I'm kinda stranded in this little town called Sun Mountain. The radiator broke," she could here Hunter holding his laugh on the other end. "This isn't funny Rick!" "What is it with women and cars, they just don't mix." "Well I'm gonna be stuck here for at least a week, but when I get back." "Ho down girl, just kidding. Do you want me to come up there?" "No, I've got to drive the car back myself anyway. I'll see you next week." "Ok, be careful." "Yes dad, bye." "Bye" "Your boyfriend?" Maggie wanted to know, "No my partner," "Partner?" "He's my working partner." "Ah. Well let me show you your room." Maggie took McCall upstairs to a small but cozy bedroom. "The bathroom is down the hall on the right. I'll leave you to unpack." she said as she walked out. "Thanks." McCall started to unpack her stuff; on her way to the wardrobe she glanced out the window and saw Maggie and Tom talking. She could tell by their body language that there was more going on. Later that evening McCall was sitting out on the porch enjoying the view. "Do you mind if I join you?" Maggie asked. "No not at all, I was just admiring the view. It's so beautiful here." "Yeah it is. I've been living here all my life and it still amazes me every day. Where are you from if you don't mind me asking?" "I'm from LA." "Ah the big city." McCall smiled, "No wonder you spend your holidays up here." "LA has it's beautiful spots too you know. Ever been there?" "Yeah once, couldn't wait to get back here." They had a great evening talking and laughing. The next morning McCall woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. She hopped out of bed, took a quick shower, got dressed and went downstairs. "That smells good Maggie." "Thank you. Sit down I'll get you a plate." While they were enjoying the breakfast a car came racing up to the house. A young man jumped out and came barging into the kitchen, "Jason what's the rush," Maggie asked him. "The garage," he stumbled still catching his breath, "It's on fire." "What!!" Maggie jumped up, so did McCall and they followed Jason to the garage.
A lot of people had gathered to watch and the fire department from the nearby village had just arrived. "I don't see Tom anywhere," Maggie said to McCall with fear in her eyes. Without thinking McCall ran into the burning building to find Tom. She covered her mouth with a towel she found on her way in and kept as low to the floor as possible. Tom was lying on the living room floor coughing his lungs out when she reached him, "Tom It's me DeeDee. I'm getting you out of here, come on." McCall handed him the towel, "Put this over your nose and mouth and keep as low to the ground as you can ok." Tom nodded and together they crawled to the back door. The second they came out the door McCall heard a fireman yell, "Get down, It's gonna blow!" She pushed Tom to the ground and a big explosion followed. They could feel all kinds of debris falling on them as they lay face down in the grass. "Are you ok?" McCall asked Tom, "Yeah I think so. How about you?" "I'll live." The two of them stood up and walked through the smoke towards the street. Maggie saw them and rushed towards them followed by Jason, "Are you alright? DeeDee you're bleeding," she cried. McCall touched her head and saw the blood on her fingers, "Ouch, something must have hit me." The local doctor did a quick exam of the both of them and send them to the nearest hospital for stitches and because they inhaled a lot of smoke. The doctor at the hospital wanted to keep them for a night just in case and put them in a room together. After Maggie had left McCall and Tom talked for a while, "I guess you can't fix my car now can you?" she said to Tom. "I don't think so, I'm sorry." "You can't help it. I'll have to tell my brother though, he will be so mad." Tom grinned. "Do you have any idea how this fire started?" she wanted to know. "I have my suspicions, but I can't prove anything and the sheriff won't investigate this." McCall remembered seeing the sheriff's car from the corner of her eyes, it was parked a couple of yards from the scene. "Why won't he investigate?" she asked. Tom told her about his gang member past in LA, he had been convicted a few times and finally moved here to start over. The sheriff found out about his past and turned the town against him. Maggie was the only person who believed he had turned his life around and helped him start up the garage. She also managed to convince the majority of the people to give him a fair go. After hearing all this McCall decided to call Hunter. "Hunter I need you here." "McCall, what's wrong?" She told him the entire story. "I'm leaving now. I'll be there by tomorrow afternoon. When are they releasing you?" "Tomorrow morning, you can find me at Maggie's." "Ok, see you then." McCall hung up, closed her eyes and dozed off.
The next morning they were released. McCall had to promise she would stay in bed for at least another day even though she felt good. By the time they got back at Maggie's she felt like taking a nap so she went up completely forgetting about Hunter coming. At around two Hunter pulled up at the boardinghouse. Maggie and Tom were sitting in the kitchen talking about the day before when they saw this tall handsome guy walk in. "Hello can I help you?" Maggie asked him. "Yes I think so. I'm Sgt. Hunter, I'm looking for DeeDee McCall." "She's sleeping right now. Are you here because of the fire?" "Actually she called me last night about it. I drove all night to get here today." Maggie looked at him and then it hit her, "Wait a minute, you are her partner." "Yeah I am." "She told me about you, but she didn't tell me she was with the police." "May I know what room she's in so I can tell her I'm here?" "Sure, upstairs last room on the left." "Thanks." Maggie looked at Tom, "No wonder she is keeping him a secret, he's cute." Hunter went upstairs and opened the door to her room quietly. She was still asleep so he watched her for a while. Very gently he stroked her cheek, "DeeDee wake up," he whispered. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, "Hunter? What time is it?" she tried to sit up, "Oh my head." and lay back down again. "Easy," Hunter said worried, "Why don't you try to sleep some more and I'll go take a look at that garage, see if I can find anything." "I think that's a good idea," she said weakly and closed her eyes again. Hunter walked to the door and opened it to go out, "Rick." he turned towards McCall, "Yeah." "Thank you." "That's ok, what are partners for." He left her room and closed the door behind him thinking 'DeeDee McCall how did you get yourself into this mess.'
He went downstairs and joined Maggie and Tom at the kitchen table, "Didn't DeeDee come down with you?" Maggie asked. "No, her head still hurts so she stayed in bed." "I see, I'll go and ask her if she needs anything." "Do you think you can find out who set my garage on fire?" Tom asked Hunter. "I hope so, can you tell me what happened?" "I was in my bedroom getting dressed when I heard the sound of breaking glass. It came from the workshop so I went to see what was going on. When I opened the door I saw flames coming at me so I closed it quickly, it spread so fast. Before I knew it I was on the floor cause I couldn't breathe, that's when DeeDee found me." "Sounds like a flammable liquid was used. Why don't we take a look at the place." "Yeah, fine with me." Maggie had come down and Tom told her he and Hunter were going to take a look at the garage. Tom had a hard time looking at the place, he didn't understand why this had to happen to him. "Let's go through your story again." Hunter said to him "Where was the bedroom?" "Right here," Tom took him to what used to be the bedroom. "Ok, you heard the sound of breaking glass coming from the workshop, which is where." "Through this door and that door." they walked through the rubble to what used to be the workshop, a burned car still in it. "That's DeeDee's car," Tom said quietly. Before Hunter could say anything they were interrupted, "What do you think you are doing here?" It was the voice of Sheriff Walker. Hunter flashed him his badge, "Sgt. Hunter, LAPD. Tom was showing me what happened here." "This is out of your jurisdiction and none of your business Sgt," Sheriff Walker was getting on Hunter's nerves but he stayed calm. "This vehicle here," pointing at McCall's burned car "Is property of the LAPD, so I'm making it my business. I want to know what caused this fire." "According to forensics something short circuited, case closed." Hunter frowned, "Case closed huh. I hope you don't mind me asking for a copy of the forensics report so the department can collect the insurance money on the car." "No not at all, you can pick it up at my office first thing in the morning." "Thank you. We'll go, I've seen enough for now." Hunter and Tom walked to the car; Sheriff Walker watched them as they drove away. "Did you believe what the Sheriff said?" Tom asked Hunter. "No way, he's either lying or keeping something from us. The wires looked petty safe to me and I saw two kinds of glass on the floor. Let's wait what the report has to say."
Meanwhile at Maggie's McCall had woken up and came out of bed. "Hey how are you feeling?" Maggie asked her, "Pretty good, my head still hurts but it's not so bad anymore." "Why don't you go sit outside on the porch and I'll make us some tea." "Good idea." she went out, sat down on one of the rocking chairs and covered herself with the blanket she brought. Maggie came out with the tea and some homemade applepie. "I'm being spoiled here," McCall remarked. Maggie smiled, put the tray down so she could sit down herself and got a serious look on her face, "You know DeeDee, I don't know how to thank you for saving the life of the person I love. Being a police officer you probably consider it part of your job, but still." "You are right, I consider it part of my job and just thank you is alright. I would do it again." Maggie smiled. "So I was right in thinking there was something more going on between you two." McCall said. Maggie blushed, "That obvious huh. We've been keeping it a secret for almost a year now. I know Tom told you about his past and how people reacted to him living here. I just hope we can be happy here someday." "You will, he looks like a real nice guy." "Thanks, he is. What about Hunter?" "What about him." "How long have you known him?" "We've been partners for about five years now. I met him the night my husband Steve was murdered. Hunter was the one who had to tell me. He's just been there ever since." "Sorry about your husband." "Thanks." They went silent, drinking their tea and thinking their own thoughts. "Do you ever wonder if you'll find someone to love like that again?" Maggie asked her, "Like Steve? I don't know. I don't fall in love easily but when I do it's real." At that moment the guys pulled up to the house. Hunter saw McCall sitting there as he walked up the porch, "Hey, how are you doing?" "Good enough to sit here," she replied with a smile. "You guys want something to drink?" Maggie asked them, "Yeah, some of that tea would be nice," Hunter replied. "I'll help you," Tom said as he followed her in. "What's with those two," Hunter asked McCall. "Love Hunter." "Oh." "What did you find out?" "That the Sheriff is in it up to his eyeballs. He said forensics found out that the fire was caused because something short- circuited, but I found no evidence of that. What I did find were two kinds of glass on the floor. I bet it was caused by some flammable substance." Tom and Maggie had joined them. " I can get the forensics report from the Sheriff's office tomorrow, that will be interesting reading material. Oh, I told him your car was police property." "Doesn't matter, my brother's gonna kill me anyway." Hunter threw her a look that made her smile. "I'll sort him out for you," he said. "Oh no, you're not. I can fight my own battles thank you very much." The four of them stayed out and talked till late in the evening.
McCall was lying in bed looking at the ceiling thinking about what she and Maggie were talking about earlier that day. 'Will there ever be someone that I'll love the way I loved Steve? One part of me wants to, the other part of me is afraid. Afraid that I will lose that love the way I lost Steve. And what about Hunter, I care for him he's my safteynet. The person I can always count on day and night when I need him, no questions asked. I would give my life for him if I have to and he'll do the same for me. But Hunter as my lover?' She closed her eyes and fell asleep. Hunter was still awake, lying on his bed in the room next to McCall's, worrying about her. He had watched her the most of the evening and could tell that she wasn't feeling well. She looked pale and tired. He slipped out of bed and out of his room. Very slowly he opened her bedroom door, put his head around it and saw her sound asleep. He wrapped himself in the blanket that he had taken from his bed and made himself comfortable in the big chair that was standing in the corner. As soon as he lay his head down he fell asleep. McCall woke up in the middle of the night cause her head was pounding and hurting. She sat up in bed and her eye fell on a figure sitting in the chair. After she turned the bed light on she saw it was Hunter. 'Why is he sleeping here?' she thought and decided to wake him. "Hunter, wake up." "Huh, what. McCall are you alright?" "Yeah, except for the headache that woke me. What are you doing here." Hunter rubbed his eyes and looked straight at her, "I watched you last night, you looked tired and sick. I was worried so I decided to keep an eye on you." McCall didn't know what to say to him, all kinds of emotions were racing through her. Finally she spoke, "You could get me some aspirin and a glass of water." He smiled, "I will," and left the room. She lay her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. 'Rick Hunter you don't know how glad I am to have you here,' she thought. "Here you go," Hunter said as he handed her the aspirin and the water, she took them. "You know, I'll be glad when they take the stitches out at the end of the week. Then I can wash my hair. You can still smell the fire." Hunter stroked her curly hair, "It feels dirty too." Shivers ran up McCall's spine as he touched her. "Try to get some sleep. You need it. I'll stay with you." She lay back again and Hunter turned off the light before going back to the chair. "Hunter." "Yeah." "Sleep well." "You too."
The next morning McCall woke up at around nine, she looked if Hunter was still sleeping but he wasn't there. She got out of bed, got dressed and went downstairs. "Good morning," she said to Maggie as she entered the kitchen, "Good morning, did you sleep well," "Not bad, I woke up last night with a headache, but taking a few aspirins helped." Maggie smiled, "Yeah Hunter told me." "He actually slept in the chair last night." "He told me that too." McCall gave Maggie a 'what didn't he tell you' look. "He's in the den reading the forensic file," Maggie said as she handed McCall two cups of coffee. She entered the den and saw Hunter sitting on the couch reading, "Anything interesting in there?" she asked as she handed him the coffee. "Thanks. Oh just what I expected, not much." he took a sip from his coffee. "Hmm, Maggie sure knows how to make this." "Yeah, It's better than the ditchwater at work," McCall agreed. "Don't keep me in the dark here Hunter, what does the report say." "Here read for yourself," he handed her the file. After reading a few lines the letters started to dance around on the paper, "I think you're gonna have to tell me, reading and concussion don't mix." Hunter looked at her, he had that worried look in his eyes again. "Don't look at me like that Hunter, I'm not gonna break in two," McCall said angrily. "Sorry," he said softly. At that moment Maggie put her head around the door, "I'm going into town to get some groceries, can I bring you anything?" "No thanks," Hunter said not taking his eyes off McCall. "Nothing for me either," McCall said still looking at Hunter. "Ok, I'll be back in a couple of hours." 'I wonder what that was all about,' Maggie thought as she walked to her car. Back in the house McCall broke the silent stare, "What about the report Hunter." "As I thought it says cause of fire a short circuit due to faulty wires. It has no pictures in it to back this up. I called Harry this morning, he's driving up here to take a look. I'll introduce him to Sheriff Walker as the insurance expert who's gonna take a look at your car." "Good thinking, when's Harry gonna be here?" "Any moment now."
"Hi Harry, nice to see you," Hunter greeted him and shook his hand. "Hunter, McCall. Sure a nice place for a holiday. Let's get down to business, where's this place?" "Not so fast Harry. We need to go by the Sheriff first to introduce you as the insurance man and hope he'll fall for it." "If he really is the idiot you told me about that won't be a problem." "Ok, let's go," Hunter looked at McCall, "I'll be fine," she said. "I know, see ya later." Maggie loaded the last of her groceries in the car when she saw Hunter and another man leave the Sheriff's office. She crossed the road and walked in. "Well well Maggie, what can I do for you." "Cut the crap Bert. Hunter will find out who set fire to Tom's garage, but I think I already know." "Are you threatening an officer of the law Maggie?" "Come on! You have been making my life hell ever since we divorced and especially since I met Tom. If this is another one of your stunts Hunter will get you." "Get out before I lock you up." Maggie turned around and left. "This Hunter character is going to be a big problem," Sheriff Walker said to his deputy Chris Mason, "We gotta do something fast." "You were right Hunter, the cause of this fire sure wasn't a short circuit, the place was set on fire deliberately. I have to run some tests but I guess they used gasoline." "Great. Now we have to link this to someone." "I'll see if I can lift some prints off the pieces of glass I took, otherwise it will be a difficult one to prove." "I know but I'm gonna try anyway." "Good luck Hunter, I'll have the results for you as soon as possible." "Thanks Harry, I owe you one." Harry left and Hunter walked to his car deep in thought when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He fell against the car, an arm grabbed him in a way so he couldn't turn his head around and a low voice said: "This is a warning Sgt. Stay out of this or the next time you won't be so lucky." The person struck him again and he blacked out. A cold and feeling made him come too, his eyes fluttered open and stared into a pair of eyes he knew all to well, McCall's. "Tom found you at the garage and brought you here. What happened?" "Harry had just left and I walked to my car. Someone hit me from behind. He said I should keep out of this or else then it went black." "Did you see the guy?" "No, he held me in a way so I couldn't turn around." Hunter sat up slowly, 'Now I know how you feel," he groaned. "Yeah, nice couple we are," McCall smiled. "So any idea about the fire yet?" "Harry found enough to test and he'll have the results as soon as he can. My feeling that Sheriff Walker is involved is only getting stronger." Maggie, who had just come up to see how Hunter was doing, overheard the last thing Hunter had said. She entered the room, "I think you might be right," she said. Both Hunter and McCall looked at her with a questioning look. "I have to tell you something. I saw you and this other man leave the Sheriff's office this morning, Sheriff Walker used to be my husband, we got divorced last year and he's been making my life difficult ever since. It's gotten worse since I met Tom. After I saw you leave I went over there and told him that you would find out he was behind this and put a stop to it. I guess it's my fault you got hit." "Well it certainly makes him my number one suspect." Hunter said to her. "Why didn't you tell us," McCall asked Maggie. "I don't know. I was afraid of what could happen. I know what he's like." "I'm glad you told us Maggie. Now we can do something about it." Hunter said.
Later that evening the four of them were watching TV in the den. Hunter was looking at Tom and Maggie, Tom had his arm around her and she leaned against him. They looked real happy. Then he felt something leaning against his shoulder, It was McCall's head she had fallen asleep. Very carefully he lifted her from the couch, "I think I'll put her to bed and turn in myself, we've got a busy day tomorrow." he said to Tom and Maggie. "Ok, goodnight then." "Goodnight." Hunter took her up to her room and lay her on the bed. She turned on her side and kept on sleeping so he covered her with the blankets. "Sleep tight DeeDee," he whispered and went to his own room. In bed Hunter was going over the scene of the fire through his mind, 'I'm missing something,' he thought 'I checked the place thoroughly but still. I'll take McCall there tomorrow, maybe she'll see something I haven't.' he turned off the light and went to sleep. The next morning Hunter woke up because someone sat down on his bed, he looked into the sleepy eyes of McCall. He sat up, "How did I get into my bed?" she asked with her low morning voice. "I put you in, you fell asleep on the couch." "Oh." "Did you sleep well, you look tired." "Yeah, I did. My head feels a bit heavy that's all." "Do you feel up to going with me to the garage today? I want to take another look, I've got the feeling I'm missing something vital. Maybe you see something I don't." "Sure. I'll feel better after a shower." Hunter gave her a look, "Oh I can't. The stitches. I'll go wash instead." she got off the bed and walked out. While getting dressed McCall's mind wandered to the conversation with Maggie again, 'What about Hunter.' The inner battle with her feelings was beginning to wear her out, 'Maybe I should just give in to these feelings I have for him, It's easier than fighting. But it's hard to set aside the fear.' She went down to the kitchen, found Hunter already sitting at the table eating and sat across from him. "Want some toast?" he asked, "I'd love some." she watched him go to the toaster to put some bread in, "Will you get me some coffee too?" "Sure." At that moment Maggie walked in, "Goodmorning, how's the head?" "Fine." both of them replied. They all looked at each other and broke into laughter. After breakfast Hunter and McCall went to the garage to take another look around. "This is where I went in," McCall said walking through the side door. "I kept as low as possible holding a towel over my mouth and nose. The first door I opened was the one to the livingroom where I found Tom, I gave him the towel and we went this way to the back door," she led Hunter out back. "We were about here when I heard a fireman yell that the building was gonna blow up. I pushed Tom to the ground and there was a big explosion. When we got to Maggie she told me I was bleeding, I never noticed anything hitting me." Hunter looked at her, "You could have been killed in there." "So could Tom. I just couldn't leave him in there." she looked Hunter straight in the eye, "You are not gonna tell me you wouldn't have done the same." "No, I would have." he put his hand on her shoulder, "You did good McCall." At that moment all she wanted was to put her arms around him and hold him close, but she didn't. She took control of her feelings, "What is it you want me to take a look at?" "The whole scene, maybe you'll find something I missed." McCall walked around and inside the burned building, looking at everything but not finding anything new. "Sorry Hunter." "It was worth the try. Let's hope Harry found something." They got in the car and went back to Maggie's. "Someone named Harry called while you were out," Maggie said to them when they arrived, "He wants you to call him back." Hunter took the phone and dialed the number, "Harry? It's Hunter what did you find. Hmm. Ah. Yeah, ok thanks I owe you big for this one." "Well??" McCall looked at him anxiously. "He found a print on a piece of glass and ran it through the computer. He came up with a name: Chris Mason." "That's Sheriff Walker's deputy," Maggie said. "That's the break we need," Hunter replied with a big smile on his face. "Just one slight problem here Hunter, we can't bring him in. It's not our jurisdiction." "I thought of that so I called Charlie and he took care of it. He managed to get us permission to handle this investigation and if we have enough evidence we can arrest the guy and play Sheriff for a while here until replacement comes. I think we got enough to arrest them on suspicion of arson and conspiracy to murder." "I'm impressed Big Guy, you thought of everything as usual. Well, let's get to work." Hunter called Charlie to fill him in on the evidence they had, so he could make sure Hunter got all the paperwork he needed and sent it over the fax. McCall typed up the report, as usual and when everything was done they headed for the Sheriff's office. When they arrived the door was locked, but the car was still parked outside. "I'm going around the back to take a look," Hunter said to McCall. "Ok, I'll wait here." With his gun drawn he walked through the small alley to the back of the building, the back door was also locked. Hunter looked through the window but because it was dark inside he couldn't see much, he went back to McCall. "The back door is locked too." "Do you think he saw us coming?" "Could be. I wonder if someone tipped him off." "Now what." "I'll put the word out that they are on the run. Let's go back to Maggie's and I'll ask her if she knows about some spare keys to the office so we can at least get in there." "Sounds fine with me." They got into the car and headed to Maggie's. "You look tired," Hunter said to her, "I am tired. It's been a long day," McCall replied. "Before I forget, I've got an appointment at the hospital tomorrow. My stitches are coming out. Will you go with me?" "Yeah sure." Maggie heard them pull up and came out, "Did you arrest them?" "No, they seem to be on the run," Hunter said, "Do you happen to know if and where there are any spare keys to the office?" "I still have a set of keys, Bert never collected them after the divorce. I'll get them for you." She left to get the keys and joined them in the kitchen for dinner. After they had finished McCall said she was going to bed. "She looked very tired," Maggie said to Hunter. "She said she was when we drove up here," he said with a worried look on his face. "You look worried." "I am. She means a lot to me, I don't like to see her this way." Maggie smiled, "What is it?" Hunter asked her. "She told me the same about you. That you mean a lot to her." "She did huh. Well when you have a job like ours you have to be close cause your life depends on the other. I'd better turn in too, she asked me if I could come with her to the hospital tomorrow." "Oh that's right, her stitches are coming out. Goodnight then." "Goodnight." Before going to his room Hunter checked in on McCall, she was peacefully asleep. 'You mean more to me than you know' he thought and closed the door.
When Hunter came down for breakfast the next morning McCall was already sitting at the kitchen table eating. "Good morning, you look good today," he greeted her. "Good morning yourself. I feel good knowing I can finally take a shower tonight," she replied. Hunter smiled, "Maggie not here?" "No, she and Tom left early to spend a nice day together." For a brief moment their eyes locked, then Hunter turned around to make his breakfast. When they had finished they left for the hospital. It was silent in the car during the drive, Hunter was keeping his eyes on the road and McCall was staring out the window. Her inner thoughts still having that battle, the thought of Hunter as her lover going through her mind over and over. He looked at her and saw she was a mile away, "A penny for your thoughts," he said to her. "Nothing Hunter, just enjoying the view," she lied. "Yeah it is gorgeous out here, we should do this more often." "We should do what more often?" "Take some leave and explore the country we live in." She looked at him, didn't say a word, just smiled and shook her head. "Is it such a bad idea?" "No Hunter, it isn't." They arrived at the hospital right on time, Hunter dropped McCall off at the main entrance and went to find a place to park the car. When he walked back a silver car drove by and he recognized the men inside, they were Sheriff Walker and deputy Mason. They had seen Hunter walk towards the entrance and drove into the parking lot. Inside Hunter went to the first phone he could find and called the local police to explain the situation. Meanwhile McCall was in the doctor's office having the stitches removed. "Your wound healed up nicely Sgt." the doctor told her, "How are you feeling? No more headaches or dizzy spells?" "No, not for the last couple of days." "Well, then I don't have to see you again. You are done." "Thank you," she shook the doctor's hand and left. When she met Hunter down the hall she could tell there was something wrong, "What's wrong Hunter." "Sheriff Walker and his deputy are outside in that silver car. They spotted me when I parked the car. I called the local police for backup. Let's get them." "Ok, let's go." With their guns drawn they left the hospital through the side entrance, outside they split up. Hunter positioned himself behind the silver car while McCall took cover near the front. At Hunter's signal she jumped in front of them, pointed her gun at them and yelled: "Police, put your hands out the window where I can see them. NOW!" Hunter stood up behind the car, "You heard the lady, NOW!" he yelled. Sheriff Walker started the car and looked straight at McCall. She repeated herself: "Turn off the car and put your hands out the window!" Before they could make their next move Sheriff Walker hit the gas, the car jumped forward and McCall went flying over it. "DeeDee, NO!" Hunter cried out as he rushed to his partner who was lying motionless on the ground. Two patrol cars of the local police managed to stop the silver car and arrest Sheriff Walker and deputy Mason. "DeeDee talk to me please," Hunter pleaded as he kneeled besides her and held her head. She opened her eyes slowly, "It hurts Hunter," she said with a weak voice. "Where does it hurt?" "Everywhere." A couple of nurses came running out to the scene of the accident, put McCall on a gurney and rushed her inside to the ER. Hunter had to stay out and wait. One of the police officers who arrested Sheriff Walker and his deputy came over to him, "How is she?" he asked. "I don't know yet, the doctor is looking at her now." "I'm taking the prisoners to our stationhouse. Is there anything I can tell our Captain?" "I'll come by when I know my partner's alright and fill him in on the situation." "That's fine, take your time." "Ok, thanks." The officer left and Hunter went to the phone to call Maggie and tell her what happened but she and Tom hadn't returned yet, no one was answering. He went to sit in the waiting room and fifteen minutes later the doctor came in, "Sgt. Hunter?" "Yeah, how is she?" "She's gonna be fine. She has some severe bruises and a sprained ankle. I'd like to keep her overnight just to be on the safe side." "Can I see her?" "Sure, I'll take you to her." He took Hunter to her room, "We gave her some painkillers so she might be a bit drowsy." "Thanks doctor." he said and entered the room. McCall was lying with her eyes closed but when she heard Hunter's voice she opened them and saw him coming him. "Hi," she whispered when he stood next to her bed, "Hi yourself, how's the pain?" "Not so bad after the painkillers, I'll live." "Good, I need someone to write the reports," he joked. McCall laughed, "Ouch Hunter don't, laughing hurts." They looked at each other, "You scared me DeeDee," Hunter said with a serious tone in his voice. "I'm sorry." she whispered, "You don't have to apologize, just get well." He took her hand in his and with the other he stroked her cheek, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Hunter tried to call Maggie again and this time she answered the phone, he told her what happened and she told him that they would be there in an hour. Hunter got a cup of coffee and went back to McCall's room. Sitting next to her bed, drinking his coffee, watching her sleep he was thinking, 'If I just had the guts to tell you how I feel about you, how I need you. That you are the reason I get up in the morning and love going to work every day. Maybe I should risk everything and tell you, get it out of my system.' "I love you DeeDee," he whispered as he gently touched her hand. She stirred but didn't wake up. Maggie was just walking in when she saw Hunter touch McCall's hand, 'I have to try and bring those two together.' she thought. She walked up to Hunter and put her hand on his shoulder, "How is she?" "Hey Maggie," he got up and hugged her, "She's ok, sleeping now. They gave her something for the pain. Where's Tom?" "He should be here any minute. He let me out and went to find a place for the car." McCall woke up, "Maggie?" "Hey, did I wake you?" "Kinda." "How are you feeling?" "Sore. Like I've been run over by a truck." she smiled. "You haven't lost your sense of humor," Maggie said. McCall started to drift back to sleep again, "Get some rest, we'll be here when you wake." At that moment Tom walked in, "Hi, how's the patient?" "Sore and very tired. She's asleep," Maggie told him. "Would you two mind staying with her while I go to the police station. I need to talk to Captain Morris but I don't like to leave her alone now." Hunter asked them. "Not at all, we'll stay with her," Tom said to him, Maggie nodded in agreement. "There is something you should know about Captain Morris. He and Bert are friends, they graduated from the academy together and were partners for two years," Maggie told Hunter. "Great, that's all I need. Thanks for the warning." He walked to the door, turned his head to look at McCall and left. "If I didn't know any better I'd say there's something between them," Tom said to Maggie. "There is Tom, believe me there is."
Hunter walked into the station and reported to the desk sergeant, "Hello, I'm Sgt. Hunter LAPD homicide, I'm here to see Captain Morris." "Take a seat over there please, I'll let him know you are here." "Ok, thanks." Hunter sat down in one of the chairs and after a couple of minutes Captain Morris arrived. "Sgt. Hunter?" "Yes." "You are here about your two prisoners I presume?" "I am." "Can we talk first in my office." "Sure." He followed Captain Morris to his office and they both sat down. "I'm glad there's enough evidence to put those two away," Captain Morris said, "You are?" Hunter said a little surprised. "Ah, Maggie told you about Sheriff Walker and me right?" "Yes, she did." "But she didn't know that I knew what he was doing to her, even when they were married. Bert had several girlfriends on the side and I suspected him of beating Maggie up. I could never make it stick cause she had her excuses ready for the black eyes and the bruises. When she finally divorced him and met Tom I was hoping she had found the right track in her life, but Bert came messing things up again. She and Tom are still together right?" "They sure are and look very happy together." "Good. My best team of detectives interviewed your suspects and they made a full confession when they were faced with the evidence." "Great job. I'll hand it over to the DA now with the added charge of attempted murder of a police officer. They should be behind bars for a long time. Thank you very much for your help." "No thank you for getting them." They shook hands and Hunter left the office. After he dropped everything off at the DA's office and called Charlie to fill him in he went back to the hospital. When he arrived McCall was still sleeping. "Hey, how did it go with Captain Morris?" Tom wanted to know. "Very good, he was glad to see them locked up," Hunter said looking at Maggie. "He told me a bit about how Bert was treating you Maggie. About the affairs and the abuse." Maggie looked at the floor and then at Hunter, "Yeah, he had a string of girls and he beat me up from time to time, but I was scared to tell anyone even Mike Morris. I always suspected he knew, but I didn't know if I could trust him. Turns out I could have." "He also told me he was happy you found Tom." She smiled and reached for Tom's hand, "So am I." "Why don't we get out for a bite to eat," Tom suggested. "Not me," Hunter said to him, "I don't want to leave McCall. I want to be here when she wakes up." "You have got to eat something," Maggie said with concern. "I'll grab something from the cafeteria later." she knew he meant what he said and left it at that, "We'll be back later." "Ok, see you then." Hunter turned around to sit down in the chair when he noticed that McCall was waking up, she opened her eyes and looked at him. "Good morning," he joked, she smiled weakly, "Hi, how did it go at the police station?" "Good, they are going behind bars for a long time." "Works for me." she said with a smile. "I called Charlie to fill him in, he sends his love and told me we could take all the time we needed." "That's nice of him." Hunter sat down on the bed and took her hand, he was just about to say something when the doctor walked in. "How are you feeling at the moment?" he asked. "Pretty sore and tired." "That's because of the painkillers we gave you. I'll be back in the morning and we'll decide if you can go home." "Thanks doctor." The doctor left. "What was it you wanted to say before the doctor came in?" she asked Hunter, "Nothing, it can wait." He didn't dare to look at her knowing she could read him like a book and see that something was eating him. 'Rick Hunter you are gutless,' he thought. McCall knew he was hiding something from her but it would come out in time. "Where have Maggie and Tom gone?" she asked him. "To get a bite to eat. They'll be back later." "Did you have anything to eat yet." "No I haven't, I didn't want to leave you." She put her hand on his, "Go get a bite to eat Rick, I'll be fine." "Yeah you're right, I won't be long." He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead and left for the cafeteria. McCall sank back in her pillow having that thought again she had in the car that morning, 'Admit it McCall, you are madly in love with him, you want nothing more than to be with him, but no courage to tell him. You are a coward DeeDee McCall.'
Maggie and Tom were just returning from their dinner when they saw Hunter sitting on a bench outside the hospital, he was eating something. "Hey Rick," Tom said as they walked up to him, Hunter nodded. He had just taken a bite of his chilidog special, if only McCall could see him now, she would be so disgusted. "What's that you are eating, road kill?" Maggie said with a disgusted look on her face. "What! You are starting to sound like McCall. It's a chilidog special." Tom couldn't hold his laugh anymore, "You better not start having eating habits like that, I might leave you for it," Maggie warned him. Hunter finished his chilidog and the three of them walked to McCall's room who was watching TV. "Did you have something to eat?" she asked as soon as she saw Hunter. "Yes mom," he said pulling a face at her. "It didn't look eatable to me though," Maggie said. McCall looked at him, "Don't tell me, you didn't have a chilidog right?" "No, I had a chilidog special." "Oh, I'm glad I didn't have to watch that," McCall said with disgust. The rest of the evening they spend talking and having fun until it was time to go. They said goodbye to McCall and went to the nearby motel for the night. The next morning Hunter was at the hospital by eight thirty. When he walked into McCall's room the doctor was just finishing his examination. He saw Hunter walk in, "Ah Sgt. Hunter, you can take her home with you as long as she takes it real easy the next few days." Hunter looked at McCall who gave him a look of relief. "I'll make sure she does, thanks doctor." "I'm glad to see the back of this place," she said to him after the doctor had left. "Oh, I hear they have great room service," he joked; McCall threw him a look. "Make yourself useful Big Guy and hand me my clothes." "Do you need some help getting dressed?" "No, I can manage." While McCall got dressed Hunter called Tom at the motel and told him McCall could go home. Tom told him they would meet him there. The nurse brought a wheelchair to take her to the car, with the help of Hunter she sat down in it. "Do we have everything?" she asked. "Let's see, bag, crutches. Yeah everything." "Ok, let's get out of here." Hunter had already brought the car to the entrance and helped he out of the wheelchair into the car. "Are you comfortable?" "In your car? Never! But it will do," she joked. This time it was Hunter's turn to give her a look. He put her stuff in the back and got in. They were about half way when Hunter looked besides him and saw she had fallen asleep.
When they arrived at Maggie's he got out very quietly, took her stuff inside and brought back a blanket. He opened the car door and kneeled down, "DeeDee wake up, we're home," he said while he stroked her cheek. Her eyes opened and she looked at him, "Home? Did I fall asleep?" "Yeah you did. Come on put your arms around my neck, I'll help you out." Carefully he helped her out the car, put the blanket around her and lifted her up in his arms. "Do you want to lie down upstairs or sit on the porch," he wanted to know. "The porch would be nice." Hunter sat her down in the chair and got something to rest her sprained foot on. Maggie watched all this from the kitchen window with a smile on her face. "What's up?" Tom asked her. "They are so good together. They remind me of us when we just got together." "I know what you mean," Tom gave her a kiss. "I'll go see if she wants anything," Maggie said as she left. "Hi," she said to McCall "Glad to be back?" "Sure am, this is better than any hospital." "Can I get you anything?" "Some tea would be nice." "Coming up." Hunter walked back to the kitchen with her, "Maggie I want to ask you something." She turned around to face him, "What is it." "Could you make something special for dinner tonight, I want to." "Yes?" "I have to tell DeeDee something and I want it to be special." Maggie smiled, "Are you finally gonna tell her how you feel." "How did you know." "I'm not blind Hunter, it was more obvious than you know." "Oh," he looked startled. "I'm glad you are telling her, I have a feeling she feels the same way." Hunter let out a sigh of relief. "Leave it to me," Maggie said "It will be a night you both will remember. Now, bring her the tea." she handed him the tray and he went back to McCall. Maggie kept her word and made the most delicious dinner, she brought it to them, lit some candles on the porch and gave Hunter a good luck wink. "This looks and smells great," McCall said. "Why aren't Maggie and Tom joining us?" "Because I wanted to have this dinner just with you," Hunter replied. She looked at him, smiled and started to eat. During the dinner she noticed that Hunter couldn't keep his eyes off her, when they had finished she asked him, "Is there anything you want to tell me?" "Yeah there is," he took is eyes off her for a moment. She took his hand, "Tell me, please." deep inside she knew what he was gonna say. "Ok, here goes," he put his other hand on hers, "DeeDee, the last couple of days made me realize my feelings for you have grown stronger than ever before. I want you with me, I need you, I love you." As the last three words left his lips he didn't dare to look at her. "Rick look at me," she said softly, he did. "You are the one I've been missing in my life, others just weren't good enough. I want you with me too, I need you too, I love you." Tears started to roll down her cheeks, he wiped them away and they shared their first kiss as lovers.
We stayed for another week until the new Sheriff arrived, spending our time walking (as far as my ankle allowed me), talking and being together. I thanked Maggie for putting on the right track. She said I was going the right way but needed that little push and so did Hunter, she was so right. It's like a weight fell off both our shoulders. The journey is over.