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Chapter 14
Natalie headed over to the station quickly, Carl had called and told her that he and her uncle wanted to go over the case with her.
Natalie walked into Bo's office took a seat on his couch and waited as the other important players in this case walked in. Bruce came in and sat down next to her on the couch. They started friendly conversation not even realizing John had moved into the room when Carl also walked in.
"So, Chief Buchanan" Bruce said flirty and smiling. Natalie laughed, she knew he was a flirt and although she was not much in the mood for him today she smiled back at him weakly.
"I saw your boy toy at the hospital earlier. He was looking just as miserable as you" Bruce told her and she was a bit confused for a moment.
"Yeah... ummm… Ron and I aren't together any longer," she told him and he saw the sadness on her face.
"Its alright sunshine, it'll be alright. You have big Bruce here to finally get a chance to pick up the pieces," he told her and she let out a loud laugh.
John was standing by the door behind a few officers. Bo had called and asked him to come to the meeting. He thought maybe his input on this case would be helpful. Natalie was unaware of his presence and he knew this because if she knew he was there she wouldn't be as relaxed as she was speaking with Detective Bruce... Flirting with Detective Bruce, sitting so close to Detective Bruce... John came out of his thoughts when he heard Bo's words telling the room full of twenty people to be quiet.
"Quiet down everyone. Okay, now I've asked all of you here for two reasons. The first... the hospital killer, we think we know who he is but we need to figure out how to bring him out. The second reason we're here is… well... Chief " Bo motioned for Carl to speak
"Thanks Bo. It saddens me to say that after I... we... put this killer away I will be leaving you guys and Llanview," Carl said and Bruce smiled, he turned to Natalie, he spoke up.
"Hey, that's sad news Chief will Natalie finally get your title since she's been doing all your work?" Bruce said, everyone chuckled, almost everyone. Natalie didn't let on that it amused her and Carl of course didn't think it was so funny.
"As great as Ms. Buchanan is she is Forensics and not a officer. The commissioner will be finding a replacement for me"
After a few more minutes of discussion from Carl he and Bo excused half the squad. Natalie stayed as did Bruce, John of course still in the back of the room waited till everyone was gone and he tried to exit without anyone seeing him when Bo saw him and asked him to stay.
Natalie saw the room empty out, then she heard her uncle look towards he back of the room and she saw John. He had been there the whole time and her uncle asked him to stay.
John realized she finally saw him and she became tense, he wasn't the only one that realized this.
"Hey, sunshine, why so tense all of a sudden?" Bruce asked her and she told him she wasn't it.
"Okay, so lets talk about this guy, Travis Johnson. Bruce tell us about Sheryl Johnson and why we're looking at her husband for this"
"Sure Bo... Sheryl Johnson, she was rushed into the hospital with Pains in her lower back. Appendicitis the doctors confirmed, very routine procedure, they prepped her for surgery, the surgery was going fine and then out of nowhere she flat lined, dead. her family, her husband, Travis he tried suing the hospital, in mediation. The court ruled no negligence by the dr.'s or hospital. Mr. Johnson, he was Pissed, beyond mad, she was all he had." Bruce told all the facts on Sheryl Johnson and on her husband when he heard a voice from the back of the room.
"What makes you think he's the guy, the killer, why Travis Johnson?" John asked Bruce not wanting to be a smart ass or anything but he wanted to know why Bruce was so confident it was the husband. Bruce gave John a look.
"I'm sorry we haven't been introduced. I'm John McBain, My brother Michael was one of the Doctors who were attacked"
"I know. I happen to know Mikey very well. But I just don't understand why you're in on this. Who you are exactly?" Bruce asked and Natalie spoke up softly.
"He's the old chief, he use to run this department and extremely efficiently I might add," she said and John looked at her. She was standing up for him. She looked away after a second of staring and everyone in the room now knew there was a bit more between them.
"Guess that sort of answers my question about you being tense before, huh?" Bruce leaned in near her ear and told her. He smiled as he looked at John. John never took his eyes off of Bruce and his mouth so close to Natalie's face. It was beginning to bother him again but he knew he couldn't let it.
"You need to catch me up on things later doll," Bruce again told her this time a bit louder
"He's a over protective one isn't he?" Bruce said as he looked at johns now red face. Bruce laughed thinking it was funny. He turned to John.
"Down boy, you've been gone along time" he told him smirking as John gave him a glare.
"We're all still waiting for an answer to my questions" John told him snidely as he looked on to Natalie
"He's desperate, he's lost it all. Sheryl was everything to him, they had no kids, and he had no one before she came into his life. He was an emotional cripple the neighbors say, he was always brooding before he met her. Once she came into his life, he was a changed man but now... now that she's gone he's lost it. None of the neighbors have seen him," Bruce told him and John shook his head
"You're probably right. If he has nothing else what does he have to lose? And that's why he probably wants to get caught. He's proving a point," John said and he sat down in an empty chair in the back of the room.
"So… how are we going to catch him? Are we going to just wait till he kills again?" Natalie asked as she got an idea
"We'll beef up plain clothes security for another day or two and maybe even entertain the idea of someone posing as a doctor" Bo answered and then he concluded the meeting for now
"Lets concentrate on the evidence and see if we can get any prints to match anything outside of his house. We don't need a search warrant for public property."
Bo excused everyone and Natalie started to walk out the door first just ignoring Bruce when she heard the two men speaking as she walked.
"So you're the great Lt. McBain huh? When I first started hear ten months ago you were all Buchanan here talked about in bed" Bruce said. John turned quickly, looked at him, and curled up his fists
"What!" he said and Bruce laughed, he saw Natalie turn not surprised at all about the comment.
"Lay off Bruce" she told him with a smirk
"He sure is a easy one to get green isn't he, but then again, if you were the light in my eye's, I'd be green 24/7" he told her as he walked passed Natalie smirking.
"Get to work" Natalie told him smirking herself. He was such a damn clown all the time.
"Yes Boss" he said and he walked away laughing. Natalie looked at John's face. Their eye's met and then she looked away and walked off.
John closed his eyes briefly after he met hers. He came down from his sudden lapse of rage. He had, for a few minutes there, wanted to beat Bruce senseless. He watched her walk away from him and out the doors of the station. He went over to Bo in his office to have a talk.
Natalie walked into Michael's room. He was alone and she was happy for that. She didn't want to see Ron right now, or even Marcie or Eve for that matter. She needed to spend time with her good friend, the one that helps her with everything, with John and keeping her feeling at bay for him.
Michael was sleeping when she first came in and she sat next to his bed. She put her hands in her face and she heard his voice.
"Whats up kid?" he said and she looked at him, she smiled.
"You look good, really good" she told him as she continued to smile at him.
"Yeah, and you look like shit" he told her and he saw her laugh a bit.
"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" she said and stood
"Talk to me" he told her and she walked by the window to look outside. She shook her head no.
"Natalie" he said in a convincing tone.
"No Michael you don't need this now, you were hurt a few days ago"
"I'm better now, and... Well I hate being in this bed and resting so much. Listening to my friends problems, well... that would help me to not be so anxious to get out of here," he told her, then he reached over to the chair next to his bed, and he patted it. Natalie hesitated at first and then walked over to the chair and sat.
"Do you know about Ron and me?" she asked him and he nodded yes.
"Is that what this is about or is it about---"
"What do you think?" she told him before he could stop his words. He just looked at her.
"Of course its about John. When isn't it about John? Even when he was gone a whole year things were still about him weren't they?" she told him and he gave her a weak smile
"What are you going to do?" he asked her, and she shook her head, not knowing.
" Not sure Michael, not sure"
"I won't ask what the problem is Natalie cause I know, a little to well too. But... but... is it possible he's changed" Michael asked her and she got a bit teary eyed.
"Just here me out Nat alright?" he asked her and Natalie, although reluctant, shook her head yes.
"He seems a bit different, maybe he's missed us, you even, I don't know. I think we should give him another chance to make things up to us"
"Michael it's different for you. He's your brother. If you want to give him another chance to be a stand up brother than that is perfectly understandable but I just can't do it. I can't be hurt again" she told him and they both turned to see John walk into the room.