Chapter 13

When Claudette arrived, Chris was getting out of cab in front of the hospital.

"Crystal," Claudette called to her.

Chris spun on her heels and looked at Claudette, trying to place her face. then a grin touched her lips and she walked forward to meet Claudette. 'Hey," she said. "You're Dutch's partner. I'm sorry, I can't think of your name."

"Claudette," she said, returning the girl's grin. "Dutch got a call earlier, from a doctor. It was about you."

The smile fell abruptly from Chris's face. "Shit," she said, her eyes moving over Claudette's shoulder. A black and white was pulling up by the curb, the lights flashing, but no siren screaming. "Oh my God." She turned around and looked at the hospital doors. "Oh my God."

"What?" Claudette asked, beginning to get worry at the panic setting over this girl. "Crystal, what is it?"

"They're going to arrest him," she said before breaking into an all out run towards the hospital doors.

"What?" Claudette asked again, before following her through the door. But she had lost her. Chris was gone, already half way to Dutch.

She found him waiting in an examination room staring at the tiled floor. "Dutch!" She ran in, slamming the door behind her and locking it.

"Chris," Dutch said, sounding exhausted as he watched her lock the door. "Don't."

"Dutch, what are you doing?" She ran to him, grabbed his shoulders. "What are you doing? You didn't do anything to me!"

"But, I did," Dutch said, his hands resting around her waist. "And I killed four men today. One was only fifteen."

"Dutch, that has nothing to do with this," Chris said, tears gathering in her eyes, her voice straining as her hands moved to his neck, her fingers shaking violently. "Don't do this, please."

"I hurt you," Dutch whispered, looking directly into her eyes, his voice barely even a whisper. "I hurt you after I promised to never hurt you."

"But I asked you to!" Chris puttered. "And then I did it to you, too! I asked you to!"

"I shouldn't have done it," Dutch said, reaching up with one hand and wiping away a single tear trailing down her cheek.

"Dutch..."

He pulled her to him, and she collapsed into his lap, burying her face against his neck as sobs brok through her throat and tears soaked her cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly, kissing her neck.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Chris hugged his tightly, her fingers grabbing fists of his shirt. "Don't do this," she said over and over. "Please don't."

The doorknob jiggled, and someone knocked on the door. "Holland Wagenbach? Are you in there?"

Chris lifted her eyes, her vision blurred by tears. "No," she whispered, looking back to Dutch. "But you didn't do anything. I'm just not going to press charges-"

"Chris," Dutch said calmly, his hands pushing against her waist. "Please."

Numbly, Chris got to her feet and looked at him in awe as he went to the door and unlocked it, pulling it open. He looked at the cops, people he knew, and turned around, offering his wrists to them.

"No!" Chris screamed. "He didn't do anything!"

"Chris," Dutch said again, as if he were trying to talk sense into her. "Just let this happen, OK?"

"Come on," the cop who cuffed him said, pulling on his wrists. "Let's go."

Dutch turned and let them push him along down the hall toward the door.

Standing numbly in the examination room, Chris stared at the empty door way. What was happening? How was this possible? They couldn't do anything if she didn't press charges, could they? Or what if she proved that he didn't abuse her?

The cuts on his back.

She darted out the door and down the hall until she caught sight of them. "Look at his back!" She screamed, as she caught up with them. "Look at his back! I did the same thing to him!"

Dutch turned around, looking at her sternly. "Chris," he said, his voice sounding angered now. "Let it go. Let it happen."

The cops pushed him on towards the door, and he went willingly towards their car.

But Chris followed, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. "Dutch," she said, only loud enough for him to hear her. "You don't have to do this."

"Yes," Dutch said as they reached the car. "I do." He turned and looked at her steadily as the door was open for him. "Don't worry." He stepped in the car, and the door was shut behind him.

"NO!" Chris screamed, starting to move towards the vehicle. But a strong pair of hands grasped her arms pulling her back. "Let me go!" She cried as the cops got in the car and started it up. Her knees grew weak beneath her, and she fell down on the cement, still struggling against the hands that held her. "Let me go! Let him go!"

"Hush," said a soothing voice as she was pulling into a comforting hug.

Chris fell into Claudette's hug, sobbing pitifully, not knowing what else to do.

Claudette stroked the poor girl's hair, holding her in the hug. She'd gotten the whole story from Dr. Coffman only moments before. This whole thing was unbelievable... What had happened?

"It's OK," Claudette said softly. "Everything is going to be OK."