23 More Questions than Answers
Cheryl stood for a moment outside the door to the interview room and looked in through the glass at Nicholas Large sitting silently confident just as he had been when she left him. She didn't think that she had ever had to re-arrest and read the Miranda warning to the same person under a different name on the same day before and if she ever had to do it again she doubted that it would be to someone who deserved to be arrested quite as much as this guy.
"Detective Banks, if there's a problem I'm sure my client can come back at a later date." The lawyer, who Cheryl had dealt with before and disliked, stood as she opened the door, speaking before she had a chance to say anything herself.
"No, Mr. Berrian, there's no need for that, but I do need to read your client his rights again, as he has been, shall we say, a little economical with the truth?"
"Are you accusing my client of lying, Detective?" Lance Berrian raised his voice and stood up as he spoke. The young police officer, who was still in the room, moved a step closer to him and he sat back down.
"Let's just get the formalities out of the way again, shall we?" Cheryl had a sheet of paper in her hand which she planned to read from and she glanced quickly at it before beginning the session again by switching on the tape recorder, announcing her presence, the time of day and then looking straight at her prisoner.
"Nicholas Large, I am arresting you for the murders of Mary Sue Evett, Jenna Palmerton, Samantha Morrison, Nadine Browton, Harriet Brown, Krista Barnes, Leigh Anne Mason and the attempted murders of Susan Hilliard and Detective Sergeant Reagan Yeager." Cheryl paused for a moment to compose herself, so many names, so many lives ruined, and she knew that there were another six or seven unnamed victims in LA, as well as those in the other cities, that they knew about.
"You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Do you understand?" Cheryl waited and finally Lance Berrian spoke.
"Mr. Little, sorry, Mr. Large, you need to answer the detective."
"Yes."
"Yes, what? Do you understand, Mr. Large?" Cheryl was going to do everything to the letter, to the punctuation marks even, there was no way they were gonna lose this guy not while she was still breathing.
"Yes, I understand." The voice was sullen, like a child who couldn't get his own way, and he was no longer making eye contact with anyone.
The tape was still running, and Cheryl checked the figures on the front of the machine, another ten minutes and it would need to be changed. She should just get this done if nothing went wrong.
"Ok. Anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand." The reply came quickly this time, and Cheryl continued.
"You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. Do you understand?" She had glanced at Mr. Berrian as she spoke and saw that he looked a little less confident than before and Cheryl figured that representing this guy had been a short straw assignment.
"If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. Mr. Large, do you understand?"
"Yes, for goodness sake, I'm not stupid!" The temper that she'd seen flash silently as he had been wet and restrained on the fire escape came back with a vengeance and he slammed his fist down on the table as he answered.
"Steady, just take a breath." Lance looked around, saw the uniformed officer and smiled slightly at him.
"If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Do you understand?"
"Well, that's kind of a moot point don't you think, seeing as Mr. Berrian is right here?" Again the temper rose, and Cheryl was pretty sure that as soon as she had finished the lawyer would ask for a few moments alone with his client.
"Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?"
"What do you think, Detective?" The answer was so sarcastic that Cheryl wanted to bang the table herself to let some of her anger go but instead she just took the breath that had been suggested to Large a moment earlier and then spoke again.
"Is that a yes or a no, Mr. Large?"
"No, I am not willing to talk, with or without an attorney present, Detective."
"Fine, thank you, if you could sign this then, Mr. Large. It is your rights as I have just explained them to you. That way there can be no misunderstandings in the future." Cheryl slid the piece of paper across towards him, no longer needing it to read the names of the victims from and then watched as, after a long look at his lawyer, Dominic, Nicholas, Matthew, or whatever the hell his name was, signed the form and then folded his arms and Cheryl had to lean over the table to get it back.
ooo
Shannon had gladly handed the two young children over to Jo and Steve's butler when she realised he was going back to Beverly Hills. At a loss as to what to do with her time once she was alone Shannon had quietly suggested to Mark that she sit in the OR waiting room and then come and tell them once Alex was getting cleaned up.
That, and Jesse saying goodbye to his daughter, had been the only interruption after Mark had arrived back in the doctors' lounge until late in the evening. The five of them sat or stood around the room each one of them lost in their own thoughts and memories, unable to talk or make eye contact with anyone else because it would mean having to face up to their own fears and anxieties.
It was Steve who finally broke the silence, standing up and striding out into the hallway, his hands held in tight fists as he strode towards the elevator and then turned and strode all the way back again, the futility of his journey somehow matching his mood.
It was on his fourth or fifth trip that the mechanical doors opened in front of him, almost scaring him to death and then his heart nearly did stop as Shannon walked towards him.
"What? Is … Did she … You have …" Steve's voice stuttered to a halt, he had to pull himself together, he wasn't the one who should fall apart, Jesse would need him to be strong, Jo too. "Shannon, how did it go?"
The young nurse had watched her friend gather himself right in front of her, she saw him almost give himself a talking to, and then ask his question coherently.
"She's in recovery." Smiling in, she hoped, an encouraging way Shannon gently touched his shoulder. "Come on, let's go back inside."
Just those first three words made it impossible for Steve to move. The relief he felt that his partner was still alive was almost overwhelming. "After you." He breathed the words out and then, as Shannon nodded her head in an understanding manner and moved off, he allowed himself a few seconds alone to rejoice in what they had so far.
ooo
The recovery room was silent and almost empty as Doctor Japhur Singh stood at the end of his patient's bed. The young anaesthesiologist hadn't been at Community General Hospital very long, but had worked with both Jesse Travis and Alex Martin regularly. The fact that not only was the woman asleep in front of him married to Doctor Travis, but also a patient and very good friend of Doctor Martin was not lost on him. Japhur wasn't sure if he could have remained as detached and professional as Alex had, and his admiration for his friend increased.
Carefully he checked the readings on the machines especially the ventilator and was pleased with what he could see. Rae Yeager had some awful injuries and he knew that it would take a long time for her to recover, he also knew that any recovery would only be partial, that the broken bones and head trauma would require work for many months, if not years, to come.
A young nurse came over to Japhur to let him know that the only other patient still in recovery was ready to go to his room. Glancing once more at Rae he walked away, knowing that she would still be there when his task was over.
The patient at the other end of the room was awake and becoming disoriented when Japhur arrived at his bedside, and it took him and the nurse a little over ten minutes to calm the man down enough that they felt it safe to hand him over to the care of the orderlies who would be wheeling him up to the Surgical floor. Once he had left the room it seemed very quiet and empty and Japhur happily took the nurse up on the offer of a cup of coffee.
Taking his first mouthful Doctor Singh looked back down towards his patient and was surprised to see a tall figure standing in shadow by her bed.
ooo
Shannon had sat closest to Jesse, knowing that it was he who would be the most anxious for news. She didn't really want to say anything until Steve was back in the room, but also she didn't want to keep anyone else waiting. Shannon knew however, that the tall taciturn detective needed a moment and so she began with the basics that he already had or would be able to work out for himself.
"Rae's in recovery."
"Oh, thank God." It was Mark's voice, he seemingly being the only one able to admit verbally to his first fear, that of the uncertainty of her survival.
"The nurse who came to speak with me said that Rae would be there for at least an hour maybe a little longer because of the severity of her injuries. But …" She stopped as Steve came back in the room, smiled at him and then watched as he sat himself back down next to Jo, taking her hand into his own as he did so.
"Shannon, I'm sorry, please." He couldn't say any more. The need to know was overwhelming him, and his own words were no longer important.
"I couldn't speak with Alex, he went with her to recovery, and then was going to wash up before coming here, but the nurse said that she came through the surgery well."
The relief in the room was palpable and for a moment no one moved or said anything further, but then, carefully, Jesse reached out and touched Shannon's hand.
"Well. She said 'well', not 'as well as could be expected', but 'well'?"
Shannon knew the difference and was pleased that she could nod. "Yes, Jesse, well. Rae came through the surgery well."
No words were necessary then, the five of them sat in silence, knowing that, for the time being at least, they were on the winning team. The relief eased their battered senses and they were able to relax, Amanda even leaning back against the sofa and closing her eyes for a moment or two as Jo leant against Steve and felt his arm go around her, knowing that whatever happened he would protect her and help her through it.
Those feelings lasted precisely ten minutes and twenty-three seconds until Alex stood in the doorway and all their fears rose to the surface once again.
ooo
Walking quickly towards the stranger, Japhur knew that he recognised him but had no idea of his name.
"I'm sorry, Sir, but this is a restricted area." Although almost six foot tall Doctor Singh suddenly felt small and about five years old.
"Yes, yes, I realize that. But my credentials get me into most places that I want to go." The tall man handed over his wallet and, wide eyed, Japhur realised that the television news made this man look smaller and far less impressive than he was in real life.
"This is a sterile area; I can't let you get any closer than you are right now, Sir." He knew he shouldn't even let him remain, should send him out or call security, but Japhur also knew that he couldn't do either of those things and so, pulling a chair over to the end of Detective Yeager's bed, he indicated for the man to sit.
"Thank you. Now, tell me, Doctor, without breaching patient/doctor confidentiality, how is she?"
ooo
"Jesse, she's in recovery, I'm sure Shannon has told you that. Japhur Singh is with her and he'll go up to her room with her in about an hour." Alex had pulled a chair away from the table and was sitting on it the wrong way round, his long legs easily straddling the backrest as his arms rested along the top of it.
"Ok. But I can go too, right?"
"Yes, of course. Jess, she did real well. I'll explain things in more detail when we get to the ICU. She's on a ventilator, and obviously still sedated, but that's gonna be reduced gradually, Japhur wants to see how well she can do on just pain meds and so do I. If necessary we can increase it, but you know as well as I do that some of the tests we need to do can't be done under sedation."
This time Jesse could only nod his head. He wanted more details, but not here, even though these were his closest friends and family he needed to hear them alone, so he could take it all in and then decide what he was going to tell everyone else.
ooo
As Cheryl had imagined Lance Berrian immediately asked for a moment with his client once he thought that the formalities were completed again. She had refused however, wanting first to have fingerprints retaken, photos as well, all in the name of Nicholas Large. Once that had been completed, accompanied by constant moaning and apparently clever remarks from Dominic, or whatever she was supposed to call him, she had finally left the two men alone apart from the officer on the door.
As soon as she got back to the squad room Cheryl rang the hospital, needing to know about her friend as well as wanting to tell Steve just who it was they had arrested.
The switchboard operator put her through without any problems and she relayed all her news before putting the phone down again and beginning to think. Over the next few days and weeks she would be interviewing Nicholas Large a lot. Although LA was a large and violent place she hadn't arrested many signature killers, and certainly not one as malevolent and evil as this man was. Cheryl knew that there was an art to interviewing anyone, that the right questions, tone of voice, body language, were all needed to get the most out of the situation. With this man though she also knew that one slip could be more than catastrophic and so with a deep sigh, and hardly believing what she was going to do, Cheryl made her way to her captain's office.
ooo
"Oh God, Rae!" Even though he knew what he would see Jesse was still unprepared for the sight of his wife lying perfectly still, bruised, bloodied and battered before him.
"Steady, Jess, it's ok. We don't have to go right in, Japhur is with her, we can sit in the hallway for a while." Alex had seen his friend stop in the doorway, watched as his face drained of colour and, experiencing no resistance, led him to a chair just outside the ICU suite.
"Alex?" The one word was a plea, made not by an experienced trauma doctor but by a scared and suffering husband and the younger man found himself, for a moment, unable to look at his pain.
"Alex, please." Jesse's words brought him back from his own thoughts and Alex finally did make eye contact with him.
"You know about her legs, the right side of her body took the brunt of the fall. I think, from what I've seen and read about these types of injury, that she landed on her feet and then just crumpled."
Jesse could only nod. That action had probably saved her life, taking the initial force into her lower body would have lessened the damage to her upper body and head, although he knew that she also had severe brain trauma.
"The right leg had two compound fractures one tib fib, the other in the thigh, and it's been pinned with internal fixation in both instances, including a rod through the marrow. The fragments were too small to do any other type of treatment. The left leg wasn't as badly injured, the compound fracture there isn't as great and should heal reasonably well, so we used external fixation, but I guess you can see that!" Alex looked at Jesse, but knew that still he couldn't turn and face his wife.
"Right now Doctor Sanchez is hopeful that although Rae will probably have a limp on the right side it will take her weight.
"The right hip was badly broken and that will need further surgery. It too is fixed internally, but I think there will be problems with it. It has also pushed the base of the spine out of alignment, there is massive edema there. We can't do anything until that is reduced." Alex stopped talking. Jesse was still listening intently, taking it all in, but he was having trouble relating it to his friend and wasn't sure if he could continue. The list of injuries was so great that he had it detailed on two pieces of paper in his lap. On their own, except the brain trauma and the shock of the actual accident, they weren't life threatening. Together, with the added risk of infection from the compound fractures, she was definitely still in a critical condition.
"Alex, I know you have them written down, and I know this is hard for you. Let me see, I'll ask questions when I'm done."
Mutely the younger man handed over the sheets of paper and then watched his friend as he began to read, glad that the responsibility had been shifted, if only for a short while.
ooo
She had waited almost an hour, going over paperwork on the case, knowing that she would need to be sure of her facts when her visitor arrived. Now the tall man standing in the otherwise vacant office had a sardonic smile on his face and Cheryl swallowed down the sarcastic comment that rushed to her lips and closed the door behind her.
"Agent Wagner, the captain apologises, he's gone to see how Rae is, he was sorry he couldn't wait until you arrived." Cheryl had a feeling that the chief had been to the hospital as well, his secretary had told her he was out of the building when she had called to tell him about inviting the FBI to help with the interrogation, and had been guarded about where he was and when he would return as had Newman when she mentioned the absence to him.
"No problem. I called Amanda before I left home, she's out of surgery, and apparently coped with it well. I don't know any more than that, do you?"
"No, I don't, I wish I did. All I can see is her lying on the ground, the rain beating down on her … God, it was awful." She shuddered and was surprised when Ron moved a little closer.
"Cheryl, sit down, Newman isn't here, I think we could even drink his coffee." A cup appeared in front of her, the creamer and sugar next to that and she smiled up at the tall, handsome black man now towering over her.
"Thanks, I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I've seen some bad things in my career, so have you, but when it's a friend it's always a hundred times worse ... Now, Detective, I hear that you require my assistance."
The return to formalities was what Cheryl needed, and she was tempted to stick her tongue out at Ron but that made her think of Rae too and the possibility that her friend may never do that again. This time tears filled her eyes and she was unable to stop them from falling.
"Hey, use this." The voice was soft, the hanky even more so and Cheryl accepted it gratefully, wiping her eyes but not handing it back as she let the tears overwhelm her for just a few more minutes. Finally, hoping that this time she was in control of her emotions, Cheryl looked up.
"Thank you. It's been a long hard day, I have no idea what the time is, or even if it is the same day as it was when I started work."
"It is, well, unless you started on Thursday then it isn't, but it won't be Friday for that much longer either. It is a little after ten."
"Again, thank you." Cheryl took a drink from the coffee, reflected once more on how nice it was when it came from the captain's private jug and then looked across at where Ron, ever confident, was sitting in Newman's chair.
"So, not wishing to cause you more distress, what is it I can do to help you?" It was clear that Ron did indeed want to refrain from upsetting her. His voice was slightly lower than usual, his body language relaxed and friendly.
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Cheryl smiled, she wanted to get on to a more comfortable footing with this man, she knew she would need his expertise over the next weeks and months as the case against Nicholas Large was collated and made ready to present in court.
"But."
"But I need your advice, and also your presence on this case. I know Rae consulted with you, well I think I need more than consultation, I need your personal assistance."
"With the Red Rose Killer?" Ron had to admit to being delighted, usually his participation in cases with the LAPD finished with the arrest. This time he would get the chance to see it through to the end. He also felt satisfied; Rae was his friend, now he too would be able to help her out, in his own way, a way that he knew she would approve of.
ooo
Jesse finally looked up from the papers he had been reading and stared at Alex. "I … I don't know where to start."
"I'm not surprised. Look, Jess, now you've read it all, shall I just talk it through?"
He received a nod and so, beginning where he had left off last time Alex began to speak again.
"Ok, I told you about the problems with her hip and spine, her right lung was punctured, all the main injuries are that side; the lung has been dealt with and is reinflating. Jesse, she has severe head trauma, but in the OR she held her own. We were able to just keep on working. She has a broken cheekbone and eye socket, her jaw has been wired to help mend a break there. We had one of the best neurosurgeons in Doctor Guthrie who dealt with the skull fracture while I worked with Loren Sanchez, the orthopaedic guy. Otherwise we would never have gotten so much done in one go."
"Alex, thank you. I know that without you and the rest of the team she would be dead by now."
He didn't say anything, couldn't say anything, Alex knew that Jesse was right. She should be dead, he had no idea why she wasn't, apart from the fact that somehow she had landed on her feet and dissipated the force of the impact that way.
"Come on, we need to go sit with her. Well, you need to sit, I need to check her vital signs and speak with Japhur." Alex mentally shook himself and then got to his feet. He was suddenly very tired, and all he wanted to do was go and find Shannon and then head for the beach house. But first he had duties to attend to, and a friend to see.
ooo
Martin was in the driveway as Cheryl drew in. She could tell instantly that he was agitated and upset and she wondered who it was who had called and told him about Rae.
"Honey, whatever is it? What's wrong?" Instead of putting the car into the garage that she shared with Rae and Jesse, Cheryl just parked and climbed out.
"I … I saw him … again … the man."
Now she was confused, this obviously had nothing to do with Rae and so gently placing her hand on his shoulder she guided him back into their apartment and sat him down on the sofa.
"Ok, slowly, think about your words, what man?"
He did think; some words were fine, he could find them in his mind and use them right away, but others were lost in a maze of other words and phrases and took much longer to locate. This time though he needed names too, and they were the hardest thing of all.
"The man … hurt Rae …"
Her heart sank, he did know, she purposely hadn't called him, hoping that face-to-face she could explain a little better.
"Honey, I know that Rae got hurt … what?" Cheryl stopped talking; Martin was tapping her on the arm over and over.
"No, not finish … and 'Neya, saw him here today."
"Wayne? You saw Wayne?" That got a nod and a smile, he hadn't known his name, Cheryl realised now, and so, taking her notepad out of her pocket, she began asking questions, watching her boyfriend's face light up as she did so, and her heart broke for him again as she realised how much he wanted to feel useful.
ooo
Steve and Jo had sat in the doctors' lounge for over an hour after Jesse and Alex went up to the ICU knowing they probably wouldn't be able to see her, but not being able to go home until it was definite. Mark had given up the fight to stay awake just as his watch beeped eleven o'clock and was now fast asleep in the doctors' sleep room with instructions to be woken should there be any change in Rae's condition.
Shannon was sitting on the saggy sofa, her head resting against one of the cushions her breathing the deep and regular tempo of someone no longer aware of their surroundings. Amanda had gone home to her children when Ron had called to say that the LAPD had requested his presence at North Hollywood. The boys would be asleep, and a neighbour was waiting with them until she got home. She too had left instructions with both Steve and the duty nurse that she was to be called if anything changed.
The only other interruptions had been when Cheryl had called to check on Rae's condition and to tell an amazed Steve that Matthew Little and Nicholas Large were one and the same person. Captain Newman had arrived in person just after Cheryl's call to find out the same thing and tell them the same piece of news. After that they had been left alone, the other doctors on duty in the ER making their way to another lounge when they needed coffee or a place to sit for a few minutes' rest and relaxation.
Finally, when the hours of the awful Friday had ticked away and a new Saturday was beginning to make its presence felt, Alex came back and sat heavily at the table next to Steve.
"How is she?" Steve felt his heart rate increase as he asked the question that part of him didn't want an answer to.
"Alive and she shouldn't be. She fell from a third floor fire escape and somehow, I have no idea what happened to cause it, but somehow, landed feet first. That saved her."
"She grabbed the bars, so she was dangling down … Dominic kick … he kicked her hands and … and she … how did that save her?" Steve pushed the vision away, his hands running roughly through his hair. He knew he would never forget the sounds, the picture of Rae lying so broken at his feet, and he focussed his attention on Alex wanting to hear something positive.
"That explains it. It would have cut down the amount of distance she fell as well as providing her with the buffer she needed." Alex saw confusion and began to explain to them the way that the body had reacted to her fall and impact with the ground. It was clear that both of them, although tired and upset, understood what he was saying and felt his relief.
"So, she saved her own life, that's Rae!" Steve felt a smile tug at his lips, Rae's guardian angel might nod off from time to time, but she seemed to come through when she was needed.
"I guess so, but it's not going to be plain sailing. She's seriously injured, and Jesse said that I could tell you the main parts."
There were no words now, no smiles, just anxious faces as again Alex began to talk, explaining once more about the broken bones, the spinal damage, the severe brain trauma which could still kill her, and would, without a doubt, affect her both mentally and physically. By the time he had finished speaking Jo was crying openly and Alex could tell that Steve was holding himself together by the smallest of margins.
"Guys, I'm sorry, I wish I had better news, but Rae is a fighter, she always has been. She's being pumped full of antibiotics and monitored continuously. No one is planning on giving up on her, not now, not ever."
Steve nodded his acceptance of what Alex was saying, but thoughts turned unbidden into words as he began to speak. "But what if she wants to give up, Alex? What then?"
The young man swallowed hard as he prepared to reply. He looked both his friends in the eyes but before he could answer Jesse's voice came from the doorway.
"If that happens, we rally round each other, as we have always done, and let her go." Then, saying nothing further, he turned and left the three friends to stare at the empty space where he had been.