0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Chapter 14: No News

Leo had never known pain like this before. The pain he felt when Laurie was kidnapped came nowhere near this. When Laurie had been kidnapped, there had been a chance she would be found and rescued. With Piper, there was a minimal chance she and the baby would survive.

Leo laid his head in his hands. He completely ignored Darryl, who was asking him questions.

"Leo," Darryl said sharply and Leo looked up at him.

"What?" he asked, his voice heavy with all the grief he was feeling. Was this how Piper felt when the police were hounding her when she thought her daughter might die?

"Just go through what happened with me once, and I promise not to push it anymore. You know the protocol. I have to get a statement."

"I know," Leo said softly. He closed his eyes, the shooting coming back to him in bits and pieces. "We came out of doctor's office. I was holding Laurie's hand with my left and had my right around Piper. I heard a gunshot and made sure Laurie and Piper were safely on the ground. I never checked to see if either of them were hurt." Tears were now streaming down his face. "I should have checked on her. But I didn't."

"You did what you could."

"I took out my gun and looked for the shooter, but I didn't see anyone. I don't even know where it came from. Could have been someone on the street, could have been someone from a window of one of the surrounding buildings. I looked down and saw my shirt covered in blood. At first, I thought I had been hit. But I felt fine and could find any wounds. Then I looked down at Piper…" More tear streamed down his face. "…and you know the rest."

"Thank you, Leo," Darryl said, scribbling notes in his small, leather-bound notebook. "I have just a couple more questions. Where is the doctor's office located?"

"On Harrison, just before you reach 61st."

"What is the doctor's name?"

"I think it was Mason. Yes, Doctor Mason."

"What kind of doctor is he?"

"An obstetrician," Leo whispered.

Darryl looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"Piper's pregnant," Leo said softly.

"Oh, god, Leo." Darryl seemed to be at a loss for words. He didn't know if he should congratulate the man or console him. "Is"

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "They don't know of either will make it."

Darryl squeezed his shoulder. "Is there anyone I can call?"

Leo shook his head. "Prue already picked up Laurie and took her back to the manor. Phoebe's flying in from New York…just in case."

"I meant is there anyone I can call for you?"

Leo thought about it for a moment. "Piper and Laurie are my only family. They're the ones I need to be with now."

Darryl nodded his head. "Alright. But do you want to change your shirt?"

Leo looked down at his shirt, still stained with blood. One of the nurses had given him a scrub top to change into, but he felt that if he took off the shirt he was giving up on Piper. "I don't know…"

"Leo, change your shirt. When they fix up Piper and let you see her, they're not going to let you wear that shirt," he said, trying to reinforce the positive idea that Piper would survive.

Leo slowly nodded his head. "I guess you're right." He stood up and headed to the bathroom.

Darryl decided to remain behind and wait for him. He didn't like the way Leo was acting. It was almost as if he were in a comatose state. Darryl knew Leo's mental condition was less than stable. He wouldn't have been surprised or scared if Leo suddenly started running up and down the hallway, screaming. What did scare him was Leo's eerie silence and calmness. Sure, he had cried, but it was nowhere near the breakdown Darryl was expecting.

Leo was going to snap; it was only a matter of time.

Leo tightly grasped the sides of the sink. His vision was blurry due to the tears he was trying to hold back. But he couldn't any longer. He slid to the floor, letting the tears flow freely.

Piper was probably in that room, dying, right now, and there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it. The only thing he could think of revenge was to get the killer. No, gunman, Leo reminded himself. Piper isn't dead yet.

McGunther had to be the gunman. It was just too much of a coincidence for the shooter to be any one else.

Leo stood up and splashed water on his face. He watched his reflected as the tiny beads of water slowly dripped down his face, one by one, falling into the sink.

He was going to catch McGunther if it was the last thing he did.

With that though firmly planted in his head and a plan beginning to formulate, Leo changed out of his blood-stained shirt and into the green scrub top.

He walked out of the bathroom and straight to Darryl. Before Darryl could open his mouth to say a word, Leo said, "Darryl, I need a copy of all McGunther's files, access to hospital computers, and a reporter from one of the big television stations."

Darryl just stared at him. "Are you insane?"

"No, actually, I'm serious. I have a plan to catch McGunther and I know it will work. Please, help me."

Darryl slowly nodded his head. "Alright, but if this gets me fired, your ass is mine."

Leo smiled with relief. "Thanks, Darryl. You're a true friend."

Leo looked to the nurse's station and caught one of the nurse's eyes. He looked at her, as if asking if there was any news on Piper. She shook her head and turned back to her work.

Leo turned to look at the door to the OR. I'm going to catch him, Piper. I promise you I will get him.