Chapter Three

"Damnit Maggie. You understand I had to call him this time." Lia said with a sigh as she gazed at her sister-in-law.

"Not Da." Maggie replied, shaking her head. Her dark brown eyes were huge as they pleaded. "Lia, please."

"You'd rather I called your brother?" Lia eyed her suspiciously.

"He won't come. Danny's too busy." Maggie sniffled as she stared at her shoes. "Everyone's too busy…"

Lia sighed again. This was the third time since Christmas that she came upon Maggie hanging out with the wrong type of crowd. She didn't understand. Maggie was a smart kid but she made horrible choices lately. It all started and ended with Pete Baxter.

She decided to try and get to the bottom of this. Lia knelt by Maggie's chair and ran a hand over her head. "Mags. C'mon spit it out. What's going on with you?"

"I'm fine." Maggie insisted.

"You're not fine." Lia countered. "You're really scaring me. Maggie this isn't like you at all. I've caught you in the park at all hours. You were in that abandoned warehouse of 12th Street two weeks ago and now you're with those idiots when they vandalize the gas station downtown. I don't understand what's going on with you. Pete Baxter is a moron and you're a smart girl."

"You're wrong, Lia." Maggie shook her head at her. "Pete really likes me."

"Pete's using you and I'm honestly scared to find out just how." Lia said softly. "Why aren't you out with Becky? You two are such good friends..."

Maggie laughed bitterly. "Becky only has time for Kyle lately."

So that's what it was. Lia put the pieces together. Maggie was feeling left out it seemed. "Ah Maggie." She sighed again. "Don't do this."

"Don't do what? Tell the truth? Lia, c'mon. It's so not fair. Don't I deserve to find someone who likes me? I mean – GOD. Kyle thinks the sun rises and sets by Becky. Do you ever see how he looks at her? Like she's a goddess or something." Maggie pushed back the chair and stood, moving to gaze out the window. "Why am I even talking to you? You wouldn't understand. Kyle looks at Becky the same way Danny looks at you."

Lia took a breath and moved toward her again. She walked slowly. Tracking down and bringing in the group Maggie was mixed up with had taken more out of her than she realized.

"OK." She said with a nod. "I get your point and you're right. Everyone around you does seem to be paired up and busy with their own lives. I'm not going to talk down to you and tell you that someday you'll find someone – even though it's totally true – because you won't believe me anyway. But I will tell you that Pete Baxter? Maggie honey - he's not it. Trust me. I went to school with his brother and that rotten apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."

"Lia…" Maggie turned to face her and started to cry.

"Shh. It's OK." Lia whispered as she pulled her into a hug.

"He tells me I'm pretty. He tells me that he doesn't know what he'd do without me. But then he ignores me for days. It shouldn't be like that should it?" Maggie's voice was broken as she held onto Lia tightly.

"No. It shouldn't." She replied.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." Maggie cried harder.

"Nothing's wrong with you honey." Lia insisted. "Something's wrong with that dirtbag you've been hanging around with."

"Margaret Mary. What the hell is wrong with you?" Ian bellowed as he burst through the door to the station.

"OK. Your father obviously doesn't agree with me. But trust me sweetie. It's true." She pushed Maggie to stand behind her.

She gave Ian a brilliant smile. "How's the best father-in-law on this side of the pond?"

Ian had no time for pleasantries. "Save the charm lass, it'll do you no good. Not when my daughter's a felon..."

"Da. I'm not a felon." Maggie rolled her eyes.

"You're in a police station and you're not the one wearing a badge." Ian yelled at her. "I swear to you. You're trying my patience."

"I'm sorry." Maggie sighed as she wiped at her eyes.

"Oh you certainly will be. C'mon. Get your things – I'll be taking you home. And get comfortable – because home is all you'll see from now until the next millennium."

Lia wracked her brain to think of a way to save her poor sister-in-law from a prison of her father's making. She blurted out the first thing that sprang to mind. "Do you think that maybe you could let her out so that she can work?"

"Huh?" Maggie stared at her.

Lia glared her into silence. She turned her attention back to Ian and batted her eyes. "She'd be a huge help. Even with all these computers I still have piles of paperwork. I could really use her three days a week after school."

Ian narrowed his eyes at Lia and tweaked her nose. "I can see why my son can't say no to you but me? I wasn't born yesterday."

"C'mon." Lia said as she held him by the arms and gazed up into his eyes. "Let her work here. It'll certainly keep her out of trouble – every cop in PC will know her face if she's around here enough. She'll never get away with anything."

Ian realized that Lia had an excellent point. He gazed at his daughter, knowing she was unhappy but at a loss as to what to do. Maybe letting Maggie have something to do after school would help make her happy again.

"We'll discuss it with your mother." Ian said with a sigh. "Let's go." He nodded towards the door.

"Thanks Lia." Maggie whispered as she obeyed. "For everything."

"Don't mention it." Lia smiled as Ian bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you." He said as he smiled down at her. "We'll see you Sunday for dinner won't we?" He asked as he followed Maggie out.

"Wouldn't miss it." Lia smiled and waved them off.

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"What do you think?" Quinn asked nervously. He walked through the large empty house and ran a hand over the banister on the staircase. He could already see Ty sliding down it.

"I'm overwhelmed." Billie sighed. "Quinn – don't you ever do anything simply?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked her, confused.

"We got engaged three months ago and I know we talked about getting a bigger place – but honestly - you don't ever go slow." She sighed again as she moved to sit down on the steps. "I can't think…"

He smiled as he watched her. Quinn moved to sit down next to her and gently tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "You think too much." He whispered.

She laughed as she turned to face him. "You just asked me "What do you think?" Now you're saying I think too much." Billie's voice was exasperated. "Is it any wonder I'm completely confused?"

There was one extremely important reason that Quinn wanted her to decide. His voice got soft as he smiled at her. "It's a great house, Bill and I really think it'll go a long way in convincing them that I'd be good for Ty."

"Oh Quinn." She whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "Of course they think you're good for him. Sweetheart, this visit – it's just a formality. There's no reason they won't let you adopt him. None at all."

He took her hands in his. "Well…" His voice shook with nerves. "I wasn't exactly a model citizen when I was younger. I'd hate for them to dig up some of that stuff."

"What are you saying? Did you knock over a liquor store?" Billie tried to keep a straight face as she asked him.

"No." Quinn said with a sigh, still looking desolate.

"Quinn what is it? She asked, now getting concerned.

"I stole a car." He said so softly she almost didn't hear.

"You stole a car?" Billie blinked.

"Uh huh." Quinn sighed. "And I hope that it doesn't ruin everything."

"OK. Hold on. When was this?" She asked. "How old were you?"

"Fifteen." He muttered.

"Fifteen?" She repeated, once again trying not to laugh. "Honey? OK. Whose car did you steal?"

"Uncle Rafe's." He sighed as he pulled away and stood to stare out at the yard. "It was a stupid idea then and it's stupid now."

Billie bit her lip and walked over to him. "Quinn…"

"What?" He sighed again.

"Did your uncle press charges?" She asked him then.

"No. But they dragged me down to the station anyway. He made me sweat it out."

"Did you do any hard time?" Billie fought the giggle that rose in her throat.

"No." He answered, oblivious to the fact that she found the whole thing hysterical.

"Sweetheart." She said softly as she turned him to face her. "The only thing that little story tells me is that I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

Quinn stared at her in disbelief. "Why? Because now you know I can hot wire a car?"

She blinked at him again. "You hot wired it? I thought you just took his keys."

He couldn't get over the fact that he might jeopardize the greatest thing to ever happen to him. Adopting Ty was so important - how could he have been so stupid? He had no idea then that the choices he made back then might have consequences now.

"No. I'm a derelict Belinda. You should know that about me."

"OK." She shook her head and tried again. He was being so ridiculous she couldn't believe it. "Consider me informed. But I know I'm still lucky."

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"This makes me feel much better. Because you know all the tricks. Tyler won't get away with a thing. With you helping me raise him – he'll turn out to be a great kid." She wound her arms around his neck and pulled his face closer to hers.

"He alreadyis a great kid." Quinn said, his voice definite.

"I know." She whispered as she kissed him softly. "And you'll be a great dad."

"How do you do that?" Quinn stared at her, full of awe.

"hmm?" She murmured as she kissed him again. "Do what?"

"Make me think that everything will be OK, just like that?"

"I don't know." Billie said with a shrug. Her eyes were shining as she gazed up at him. "I must have learned how from you."

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Lia yawned as she made her way inside. She kicked off her boots and hung her heavy coat near the door. She sighed, hating coming home to an empty apartment.

She was hungry but to tired to even decide what to eat. She made her way to the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as she could stand it.

Lia dragged one of Danny's long sleeved t-shirts over her head, pausing only long enough to run a comb through her wet hair. The events of the day caught up with her quickly. Within minutes of crawling into bed she was fast asleep.

That's how he found her, curled up on the bed, not even under the covers. Danny smiled as he moved over her, brushing the damp hair off her cheeks before pressing his lips to hers.

"Danny…" She whispered as she turned towards him and pulled him closer.

"Hey." He smiled wider as he gently pressed her back into the pillows. "Is my sister still locked up?" He asked laughing softly. One hand tangled in her hair, the other started to snake up and under the shirt she wore. When he brushed his hand along her right side she suddenly sucked in a breath and winced.

"Ouch." She whispered, hoping he hadn't noticed.

No such luck. "Julia?" He said softly pulling back and staring down at her. "What's going on?"

"It's alright." Lia insisted as she moved to sit up.

Danny sat up straight and clicked on the light. Lia squinted and tried to adjust to the brightness.

"What's the matter? Are you in pain? What's going on? Let me look at you." He demanded, his intentions from just moments before forgotten in an instant. He pulled at the hem of her shirt gasping at the sight of the bruise blooming across her skin.

"What the hell happened?" He asked as he pressed his hands along her side, his touch suddenly clinical.

"When we took those kids in…" Lia began, knowing he wouldn't rest until she spilled all. "One of those little punks elbowed me while I was cuffing him. It's OK. Honey, please. I had EMS take a look at it..."

"And they let you leave?" His mouth hung open. "Take a deep breath." He ordered.

"Danny…" Lia sighed.

"Don't argue with me. Inhale." He said.

She did as he asked, inhaling deeply. As she did she winced again.

"Is there any pain when I press here?" He asked as his fingers gently pressed into her ribcage.

"Yeah – a little." Actually, she was lying through her teeth. She was in a lot of pain and not only that - it was excruciating. She had thought it would get better if she could just rest. She desperately tried to move away from him. "Danny I'm fine." She insisted.

She should have known better than to try and fool him. He stared into her eyes and ran a hand over her cheek. "No. I'm quite certain you're not. Lia. One or more of your ribs are broken."

"I'll be OK." She tried to convince him.

Danny was off the bed in an instant. Lia could hear him rummaging through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. The faucet turned on and off quickly and he was back by her side before she could blink.

He took her hand and dropped two pills in her palm. "Take them." He demanded as he handed her a glass of water.

Although she wasn't nearly in the mood anymore she tried to joke. "You know I had a whole other idea of you and I playing doctor…" She smiled as she obeyed his order.

Danny took her hand and gently helped her to stand. He pulled back the quilt and barked at her. "Lie down."

"You're so bossy." She grumbled, too tired to really argue. "Are you this mean to all your patients?" She asked as she snuggled in.

"You tell me if it gets worse." Danny said, his voice stern. In response Lia simply closed her eyes.

"JULIA." His voice rose another octave, making her open them again. "You tell me if you have trouble taking a breath or if you feel nauseous at all."

"Uh huh." She replied, wanting nothing more than to sleep.

"Julia." He said again. "You tell me."

"OK. I will. I promise." She said as her eyes fluttered closed.

Finally taking a deep breath himself, Danny walked to the other side of the bed and carefully climbed in. He ran a hand over her hair as he willed his heartbeat back to normal.

She's OK. Danny whispered to himself, hoping he'd eventually believe it. It's alright. She's going to be OK. He hated the idea of her in danger. He was terrified of her getting hurt. As he buried his nose in her hair and held Lia close only one thought came to his mind.

He hoped that this latest run in would be turn out to be the worst of it.