Chapter six.

Jesse sat down with a relieved sigh. It had been a busy day and he was glad to be able to have a little sit down before he went home. It had been a week since Joe Reynolds had been killed and Steve had been hurt. No information was coming to light on who had killed the man. Steve had not been willing to talk about what was going on to any of them, a fact that was causing problems between him and his father. In all the years he had known them he had never seen them so far apart and it worried him.

"Still here?" Jesse looked up and saw Rachel enter the room and pour herself a coffee.

"Not for much longer," He said with feeling. Rachel gave a quick smile. It was then that he realised that he hadn't really seen her smile much lately, and there was a tension in her body to. "Mark been trying again," She nodded and sat down on a chair next to him.

"I know he is only trying to find out what is happening," She sighed her voice was close to tears. "I only wish I knew myself, but Steve hasn't been totally honest with me over it,"

"And what you do know your not allowed to say, right?" She looked at him a little surprised. "It didn't take a lot of working out," He told her with a slight laugh. "Masters and Newman's little talk with you last week was inclined to be a give away," She nodded again.

"Steve told them they should have waited," She gave a shrug. Jesse looked at her and decided to air something that had been bothering him.

"All this trouble started at the time Jack came back," Jesse guessed. "Has all this got anything to do with him?" Rachel looked back at him her face unhappy.

"Jesse don't," She pleaded.

"I'm surprised that Mark hasn't worked it out for himself," Suddenly his face paled. "It wasn't him that shot Steve was it?"

"I don't know," Rachel said softly. "But I don't think it was,"

Jesse thought that she was right, Jack had been as concerned as any of them when he heard what had happened and it was genuine concern that he had saw on the other doctor's face. But Jesse had seen Jack's face in unguarded moments and seen what was a great sadness; Jesse didn't push or ask questions about it. Jesse sighed he hoped that there wasn't a problem with Jack, he had quite gotten to like the other man. He could imagine the pain it would cause Mark if he was involved in any wrongdoing.

"I just wish that Steve would say something to Mark," Jesse sighed as he stood up. Rachel looked up at him.

"I only wish he could," She said softly. Jesse looked at her and tried to smile reassuringly at her.

"I'm sure that it will all work out eventually," He turned and left Rachel sitting alone with her thoughts,

"I only hope your right," She told herself, though she had doubts as whether everything would ever be the same again.

Steve sat his desk finishing up some paper work. He wasn't particularly looking forward to going home, he knew that his father would try to find out what was going on again. Rachel would still be at work for another couple hours, so at least for tonight he wouldn't see her. He knew that she was off the next day, he had also asked for the next day off as well and he intended to spend it with Rachel. With a sigh he finished his work and collected his coat.

He drove home and while in some heavy traffic he thought about his relationship with Rachel. He saw her most days, mainly at the hospital, although he had been avoiding the hospital mainly to avoid his father's questions. She would come to Bobs if he were working there. He began to find himself wanting more than a few snatched moments with her. Right at the moment with this case hanging over them he knew that trying to change their relationship would not be fair to either of them. But what he didn't know that fate was about step in and change it for him.

Mark sat in the main lounge to the house, he heard Steve's truck pull up outside, glancing at the clock on the fireplace he knew that Steve was late. He had the definite feeling that Steve was avoiding him. He had hardly been at the hospital much save to have the stitches taken out, and coming home late at night so to avoid any conversation, it was not like Steve to not discuss a difficult case with him. All the problems of the past week had caught up with him and he now was determined to find out what was going on. All his concern had made his temper shorter than it should be.

Steve entered and saw his father sitting in a chair, with a sigh he placed his keys on the small coffee table and sat down on the couch,

"Busy day?" Mark asked.

"Not really," Steve said truthfully. "Just didn't realise how much paper work I had,"

"Any news on whom shot Joe Reynolds ?" He asked him.

"No nothing," Steve answered truthfully. At the moment they were at a dead end with their enquires, there was a few leads left to follow but Steve did not think they where going to lead anywhere. Mark's patience was at an end.

"What is exactly going on?" He asked. "And don't give me a story about a case," Steve sighed it was going to be one of those conversations again.

"Dad I've already told you," He said. Mark cut in.

"You've told me nothing," He snapped his anger rising. " Some one nearly killed you and you tell that its nothing, I want the truth now,"

"Dad I can't," Steve said softly. Mark was so wound up about what was going on that he missed the tone in which Steve tried to plead with him.

"So you can tell Rachel but not me," He snapped. Steve eyes narrowed.

"Leave Rachel out of this;" He said an edge to his voice. "And leave her alone at work,"

"Or what?" Mark snapped back. He knew he was being irrational, but all the worry about what was going on, was causing him not to think to clearly.

"Don't push it," Steve hissed angrily. "I have damn good reasons for not telling you what is going on, so you'll just have to trust me over it,"

"Trust works both ways," Mark snapped back.

"Yes well perhaps I don't trust everyone who you will tell," Steve instantly regretted what he said,

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just exactly what I said," He picked up the keys to his truck and got up and went down the stairs.

All Mark heard about ten minutes later was the sound of Steve's truck drive away from the beach house. Mark realised that he had pushed his son to far.

Rachel had just got home after finishing her shift and was looking forward to a restful bath. When the buzzer went to say that she had a visitor, with a sigh she answered it.

"Its Steve can I come up?" Rachel was surprised she hadn't expected him tonight.

"Sure," She pressed the release button for the door at the main entrance and opened the door and waited for him, she was surprised to see him carrying what appeared to be a hastily packed holdall.

"Do you mind if I stay here for a while?"

"Of course not," She said quickly, her voice then softened with concern. "What happened?" Steve sighed as he sat down on the couch in her lounge; she sat down at the side of him and put her arm around him.

"I had a row with dad," He said. Rachel sighed.

"Worse than the last one?" Steve nodded.

"Listen," He said a little unsure, "I can always sleep here on the couch," He had been determined not to put any pressure on her. One of Rachel's eyebrows shot up and a soft smile appeared on her lips and she took hold of his hand.

"Lets go to bed," She said softly, pulling him up to his feet, his arms wrapped around her and pulled her against him and kissed her. With another quick movement he had picked her up and was carrying her towards the bedroom and for a while they both could forget the problems that they both had.