A/N: To Clark Kent's Girl- The photo album in Chapter 2 which reads "Maggie: 1986-1990" would have to have been before she met Jesse. So I must have had brain-flatulence when I was writing that part. It should say 1991- 1995, I guess.
Disclaimer- See chapter 1.
Bringing Up Memories
Chapter 5- Nosin' Around
Claire Van Sickle was highly un-helpful to Steve. She didn't have much to say that he didn't already know, and the evidence against Ian Ritodowski was pretty flimsy. It looked like an obvious frame to Steve, but he didn't mention that to the other detective. He just went down to the archives to retrieve Claire's case files.
Steve hated digging around in the precinct basement. He hated it with a passion. Not only was it dark and dirty, but very humid. Steve was sticky before he even got down all of the stairs. When he finally found the right mislabeled box, he was dismayed to see that most of the files were growing mold. Luckily, though, the "Tra-" section was the least damaged, and the files on Maggie and Carley were completely intact.
Soon he was back at his desk in the nice, cool, air-conditioned part of the building, looking through the papers. He glanced through statements from Nick, Annie, and Paige, taken at the crime scene.
Steve decided that the most logical move to make would be to investigate anyone who was close to Maggie. But, according to Captain Woodruff, who had no friends or children of his own, Steve's other cases greatly preceded this one in importance. So Steve began to investigate an obvious suicide and an accidental shooting/car crash.
.....
Mark entered Nick Murphy's office wearing a lab coat. He looked around at the framed degrees and something caught his eye. Nick Murphy had enlarged and framed the group photo from his medical school days, and it hung behind his desk. A plaque underneath read: "To Maggie Montgomery-Travis and Carley Travis. You are always in our minds and in our hearts. I dedicate my practice to you." Mark smiled at the tribute and sat down to wait for the doctor. It wasn't long before Nick came in.
"You wanted to see me, Dr. Sloan?" he asked, stashing a pen in his pocket.
"I'm helping Jesse Travis investigate the deaths of his wife and daughter. He told me that you used to be friends, and I thought that maybe you could help."
"I'll do anything you need. Please, take a seat," Nick said, pointing towards a chair. He sat down behind his desk before he continued. "Jesse and I used to be very good friends, but when Maggie and Carley died he fell apart. He was just devastated. For awhile he thought about just giving up medical school, and opening a flower shop like his cousin Morty. We tried to reach him, but it was all we could do to convince him to stay here," Nick said sadly, remembering that painful time.
"Jesse told me that Ian Ritodowski was the last person he had thought would kill Maggie," Mark said, probing for signs of emotion, although he now greatly doubted that Nick Murphy was a suspect.
"Ian was like a brother to Jesse. And he was very close to Carley. I never saw it coming. In fact, I was never entirely convinced that he was the killer."
"What happened to the rest of you after the trial?"
"Well, Annie Johnson and I were married three years ago. She's on maternity leave, but normally she works in intensive care," Nick began.
"Congratulations," Mark said.
"Thank you. Paige Sullivan was hysterical when Ian was sent to jail. She kept insisting that he was wrongfully incarcerated. She dropped out of the classes she was taking and became a private nurse. She's around the hospital a lot to pick up patients or their medications."
"Do you have any idea who might have wanted to kill Maggie?"
"No," Nick said with a sigh. "To know Maggie was to love her. And Carley was irresistible. She usually had that same mischievous look that Jesse used to get."
"I know the one," Mark said with a laugh. A nurse knocked on the door.
"Dr. Martin, they're ready for you in surgery," she said, leaving as suddenly as she came.
"Well, I'll let you go," Mark said with a smile. Then he handed Nick his business card. "If you think of anything else that might help, just give me a call."
"Sure thing, Dr. Sloan. I'll talk to Annie too, see if she remembers anything that I don't," Nick offered.
"That would be great," Mark said, leaving Dr. Murphy to prepare for the heart valve replacement procedure.
.....
Steve glanced at the case folder sitting underneath his other files. His hand itched to pick it up, to help Jesse, but Captain Woodruff kept glancing towards him, checking to make sure that the detective was staying on task.
But much to Steve's surprise and some towards the relief of his itch, Steve found reason in one of his cases to call Colorado. One of the victims of a shooting had visited Jack Stewart at his clinic several weeks ago.
Steve picked up the phone and got out a pen. He was pleased to have found a way to both please and defy his captain at the same time.
Fifteen minutes later Steve had greeted Jack, gotten past the awkwardness of the years, and gathered all the information he needed on the Hellman- Drisco Shooting. He then tactfully turned the conversation to Maggie Travis.
"Jack, do you remember treating a woman named Maggie Montgomery? It would have been just before you left, and she was brought in with a gu-"
"A gunshot wound to the chest," Jack interrupted. "Yeah, I remember that case. It was really tough. We lost the woman, and I had to tell her husband. He took it really hard. What makes you ask about that anyways, it's like, ancient history."
"Well, maybe to you, but Jesse Travis, the husband, is a friend of mine. The case was reopened the other day, and, well, Dad..."
"Is poking around where he doesn't belong, right?" Jack finished with a laugh.
"Yes, and so am I," Steve said.
"Like father, like son," Jack said. "Listen, I'd be glad to help you out. Just tell me what you need to know."
.....
Steve returned home to find that Jesse had reloaded most of his boxes to his car. Mark was fixing supper, with Amanda's help. Steve pulled her aside and told her about the phone call that he had made earlier.
"Did Jack say anything... Well, about..." Amanda began. She wasn't looking at Steve, but out the window and across the beach.
"About you?" Steve finished. Amanda nodded. "Yes. He said he misses you, and that he wants you to call him when this is all over, because he's overdue for a visit."
Amanda's smile grew, and Steve followed her back into the kitchen to help with dinner. He didn't like to cook, and there was nothing like over- microwaving barbeque sauce to get him out of it.
.....
Monday afternoon, after an especially hectic morning, Jesse was ready for lunch. He dragged himself to the cafeteria, purchased a sandwich and a soda, and looked for his wife to sit down. Before he reached Susan, however, Jesse saw Paige Sullivan draining a Styrofoam cup of hospital coffee, and reading a book. He decided to make amends, and there was no time like the present.
"Hi, Paige," he said, sitting down.
"Excuse me?" she asked, looking at Jesse like he was from outer space.
"Paige, what's up?"
"I think you have me mistaken for someone else. I'm Chrissy Thomas."
"Chrissy Thomas?" Jesse asked.
"Yes, and I'd appreciate it if you left me alone," she said, gathering her book and walking away. Jesse was still looking perplexed when Nick Murphy came over.
"What was that all about?"
"You don't know?" Nick asked. Jesse shook his head.
"Obviously not."
"Jess, Paige had Dissociative Identity Disorder."
"Multiple personalities," Jesse echoed.
"Yeah, she's had it since she was a little girl. I've known her as Helen Feldman, Chrissy Thomas, Simone Heller, and Madeline Davis."
"Five personalities?" Jesse asked. If he had been confused before, now it was only getting worse.
"Yes. Her mother said that she was beaten by her stepfather, and she was traumatized so badly that her Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome developed into Dissociative Identity Disorder." Jesse nodded and glanced back to where Paige had just left from.
"So, how are you doing?" Nick asked him. "All of this can't be easy on you."
"I'm gonna be alright. My wife, Susan Hilliard, is so great about this."
"Susan Hilliard the nurse?"
"Yeah, do you know her?"
"No, but Annie worked with her a couple of years ago when she was transferred to the ICU. Annie said that Susan was great during the Shannon Murphy case."
"So, how is Annie, anyways?" Jesse asked curiously.
"She's fine. Tired mostly. She gave birth to our daughter this morning," Nick explained, grinning at Jesse.
"Hey that's great, Congratulations," Jesse said, offering his friend a hug. "So, what's the lucky girl's name?"
"Well, we wanted to talk to you about that, Jess." Nick hesitated. "We want to call her Maggie." Jesse's eyes misted over.
"I think that's a wonderful idea."
Disclaimer- See chapter 1.
Bringing Up Memories
Chapter 5- Nosin' Around
Claire Van Sickle was highly un-helpful to Steve. She didn't have much to say that he didn't already know, and the evidence against Ian Ritodowski was pretty flimsy. It looked like an obvious frame to Steve, but he didn't mention that to the other detective. He just went down to the archives to retrieve Claire's case files.
Steve hated digging around in the precinct basement. He hated it with a passion. Not only was it dark and dirty, but very humid. Steve was sticky before he even got down all of the stairs. When he finally found the right mislabeled box, he was dismayed to see that most of the files were growing mold. Luckily, though, the "Tra-" section was the least damaged, and the files on Maggie and Carley were completely intact.
Soon he was back at his desk in the nice, cool, air-conditioned part of the building, looking through the papers. He glanced through statements from Nick, Annie, and Paige, taken at the crime scene.
Steve decided that the most logical move to make would be to investigate anyone who was close to Maggie. But, according to Captain Woodruff, who had no friends or children of his own, Steve's other cases greatly preceded this one in importance. So Steve began to investigate an obvious suicide and an accidental shooting/car crash.
.....
Mark entered Nick Murphy's office wearing a lab coat. He looked around at the framed degrees and something caught his eye. Nick Murphy had enlarged and framed the group photo from his medical school days, and it hung behind his desk. A plaque underneath read: "To Maggie Montgomery-Travis and Carley Travis. You are always in our minds and in our hearts. I dedicate my practice to you." Mark smiled at the tribute and sat down to wait for the doctor. It wasn't long before Nick came in.
"You wanted to see me, Dr. Sloan?" he asked, stashing a pen in his pocket.
"I'm helping Jesse Travis investigate the deaths of his wife and daughter. He told me that you used to be friends, and I thought that maybe you could help."
"I'll do anything you need. Please, take a seat," Nick said, pointing towards a chair. He sat down behind his desk before he continued. "Jesse and I used to be very good friends, but when Maggie and Carley died he fell apart. He was just devastated. For awhile he thought about just giving up medical school, and opening a flower shop like his cousin Morty. We tried to reach him, but it was all we could do to convince him to stay here," Nick said sadly, remembering that painful time.
"Jesse told me that Ian Ritodowski was the last person he had thought would kill Maggie," Mark said, probing for signs of emotion, although he now greatly doubted that Nick Murphy was a suspect.
"Ian was like a brother to Jesse. And he was very close to Carley. I never saw it coming. In fact, I was never entirely convinced that he was the killer."
"What happened to the rest of you after the trial?"
"Well, Annie Johnson and I were married three years ago. She's on maternity leave, but normally she works in intensive care," Nick began.
"Congratulations," Mark said.
"Thank you. Paige Sullivan was hysterical when Ian was sent to jail. She kept insisting that he was wrongfully incarcerated. She dropped out of the classes she was taking and became a private nurse. She's around the hospital a lot to pick up patients or their medications."
"Do you have any idea who might have wanted to kill Maggie?"
"No," Nick said with a sigh. "To know Maggie was to love her. And Carley was irresistible. She usually had that same mischievous look that Jesse used to get."
"I know the one," Mark said with a laugh. A nurse knocked on the door.
"Dr. Martin, they're ready for you in surgery," she said, leaving as suddenly as she came.
"Well, I'll let you go," Mark said with a smile. Then he handed Nick his business card. "If you think of anything else that might help, just give me a call."
"Sure thing, Dr. Sloan. I'll talk to Annie too, see if she remembers anything that I don't," Nick offered.
"That would be great," Mark said, leaving Dr. Murphy to prepare for the heart valve replacement procedure.
.....
Steve glanced at the case folder sitting underneath his other files. His hand itched to pick it up, to help Jesse, but Captain Woodruff kept glancing towards him, checking to make sure that the detective was staying on task.
But much to Steve's surprise and some towards the relief of his itch, Steve found reason in one of his cases to call Colorado. One of the victims of a shooting had visited Jack Stewart at his clinic several weeks ago.
Steve picked up the phone and got out a pen. He was pleased to have found a way to both please and defy his captain at the same time.
Fifteen minutes later Steve had greeted Jack, gotten past the awkwardness of the years, and gathered all the information he needed on the Hellman- Drisco Shooting. He then tactfully turned the conversation to Maggie Travis.
"Jack, do you remember treating a woman named Maggie Montgomery? It would have been just before you left, and she was brought in with a gu-"
"A gunshot wound to the chest," Jack interrupted. "Yeah, I remember that case. It was really tough. We lost the woman, and I had to tell her husband. He took it really hard. What makes you ask about that anyways, it's like, ancient history."
"Well, maybe to you, but Jesse Travis, the husband, is a friend of mine. The case was reopened the other day, and, well, Dad..."
"Is poking around where he doesn't belong, right?" Jack finished with a laugh.
"Yes, and so am I," Steve said.
"Like father, like son," Jack said. "Listen, I'd be glad to help you out. Just tell me what you need to know."
.....
Steve returned home to find that Jesse had reloaded most of his boxes to his car. Mark was fixing supper, with Amanda's help. Steve pulled her aside and told her about the phone call that he had made earlier.
"Did Jack say anything... Well, about..." Amanda began. She wasn't looking at Steve, but out the window and across the beach.
"About you?" Steve finished. Amanda nodded. "Yes. He said he misses you, and that he wants you to call him when this is all over, because he's overdue for a visit."
Amanda's smile grew, and Steve followed her back into the kitchen to help with dinner. He didn't like to cook, and there was nothing like over- microwaving barbeque sauce to get him out of it.
.....
Monday afternoon, after an especially hectic morning, Jesse was ready for lunch. He dragged himself to the cafeteria, purchased a sandwich and a soda, and looked for his wife to sit down. Before he reached Susan, however, Jesse saw Paige Sullivan draining a Styrofoam cup of hospital coffee, and reading a book. He decided to make amends, and there was no time like the present.
"Hi, Paige," he said, sitting down.
"Excuse me?" she asked, looking at Jesse like he was from outer space.
"Paige, what's up?"
"I think you have me mistaken for someone else. I'm Chrissy Thomas."
"Chrissy Thomas?" Jesse asked.
"Yes, and I'd appreciate it if you left me alone," she said, gathering her book and walking away. Jesse was still looking perplexed when Nick Murphy came over.
"What was that all about?"
"You don't know?" Nick asked. Jesse shook his head.
"Obviously not."
"Jess, Paige had Dissociative Identity Disorder."
"Multiple personalities," Jesse echoed.
"Yeah, she's had it since she was a little girl. I've known her as Helen Feldman, Chrissy Thomas, Simone Heller, and Madeline Davis."
"Five personalities?" Jesse asked. If he had been confused before, now it was only getting worse.
"Yes. Her mother said that she was beaten by her stepfather, and she was traumatized so badly that her Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome developed into Dissociative Identity Disorder." Jesse nodded and glanced back to where Paige had just left from.
"So, how are you doing?" Nick asked him. "All of this can't be easy on you."
"I'm gonna be alright. My wife, Susan Hilliard, is so great about this."
"Susan Hilliard the nurse?"
"Yeah, do you know her?"
"No, but Annie worked with her a couple of years ago when she was transferred to the ICU. Annie said that Susan was great during the Shannon Murphy case."
"So, how is Annie, anyways?" Jesse asked curiously.
"She's fine. Tired mostly. She gave birth to our daughter this morning," Nick explained, grinning at Jesse.
"Hey that's great, Congratulations," Jesse said, offering his friend a hug. "So, what's the lucky girl's name?"
"Well, we wanted to talk to you about that, Jess." Nick hesitated. "We want to call her Maggie." Jesse's eyes misted over.
"I think that's a wonderful idea."