Officers Yokas and Boscorelli went straight to Debbie Bellard's room. Faith knocked and waited. When there was no answer, they both went in. The bed was empty and made, the room cleaned.

"What the hell?" Bosco cursed and stormed back to the Nurse's desk, his partner tailing him.

"Where is she?" he demanded to know.

When the nurse on duty looked at him with a puzzled expression, Yokas helped her out.

"The woman from 203, the rape victim from earlier."

Now she seemed to remember and looked something up in a file.

"She was released, about an hour ago," she told them.

The officers thanked her and hurried out of the hospital again.

What we do now?" Bosco asked his partner when they were out at their squad car again.

"We're going back to the house, get all addresses we can get on her and go looking for her!"

Faith looked at her partner and could read in his face that he now seemed to have the same doubts about the rape accusation that she had.


Billy Walsh was cleaning his dish in the sink when Charlene came to join him.

"I appreciate that you were looking out for me back there," she said.

"Where's the 'but'?" Walsh joked. He knew her well enough.

"But…," she smiled. "I can take care of myself…and specially of him." The woman jerked her head towards Carlos, who was in a chair by the television set, studying.

Walsh smiled.

"Got it."

He finished his dish before he turned to her again.

"How's your Mom?" he wanted to know.

"She's doing good. She actually started working again, in a small restaurant. As a chef."

The firefighter dried his hands on a towel and filled a cup with coffee, offering some to Charlene as well.

"That's great!" He handed her a cup filled with the amber liquid.

"How long has it been now?" he asked although he knew exactly how long it had been.

"Four years next month," Charlene said and her voice became weary.

"Bet Susan wasn't too thrilled when you told her you'd be a firefighter too…"

That remark brought back a slight smile again.

"Why you think I only told her when I was about to graduate?"

She grabbed his arm and squeezed it slightly.

"Thanks for being there, Billy. You don't know how much it meant to me and Mom…"

"Brian would be proud of you…," he said and took Charlene into his arms.

When they parted again, the young woman quickly looked away, so he wouldn't see her watered eyes.

"You're okay, sweety?" Billy asked, trying to make her face him again. She nodded and changed the subject.

"How's your head?"

Walsh shrugged it off.

"You know I got a hard one," he smiled. It wasn't the truth, he had one hell of a head ache, but he didn't want to let her know. She would be worried about him. And he didn't want her to be worried about him.

MacNamara and Lombardo were watching the news while the others were preparing dinner, were working out or were otherwise occupied.

"What seemed to be a normal assignment for New York's Finest, turned into a tragic event for the Fire Department when several explosions took place in an apartment building at Amsterdam Avenue…"

Mac jumped up.

"Guys, you might wanna see this!" he called the others and went to get the Lieutenant from his office.

While they all gathered in front of the television set, the anchor woman went on.

"Several firefighters were injured during this assignment. Police sources said that it might have been a drug kitchen involved, which would explain why the fire got out of hands so quickly…"

"Wasn't that the call we were responding to when the truck hit us?" Lombardo wanted to know.

"Yes…," Johnson confirmed and listened carefully to the woman on screen.

"Captain Jonathan Martin from Squad Company 18 was severely injured during this assignment. Doctors said that his injuries are life-threatening and that they will do everything they can. And now Susan James with the weather forecast…"

Everyone turned to Lieutenant Johnson for some comfort, but he still stared on the screen, not taking any notice of what was being said there. All colour was gone from his face and it seemed to be made of stone.

"Lieu?" DK asked gently.

But without reacting to that or saying anything else, Johnson went into his office and slammed the door shut behind him.


As soon as 55-David was back at the station house, they talked to their supervisor.

"So you talked to her?" Swersky wanted to know.

"She had been released already. We drove past her apartment on our way in, but she wasn't home. We want to check the files for any other possible locations," Yokas explained.

"Something's not right here," Bosco added, looking out of the glass walls of Swersky's office, watching the alleged rapist.

"Have you talked to him yet?" the Lieutenant wanted to know when he followed Bosco's look.

"Says he didn't do it," Yokas simply said.

"Talk to him again, ask him about where she could be," Swersky told them and left to get back to his front desk duty.

Bosco turned around to his partner again.

"Well, you heard him…let's go talk to Mr Winslow again…"


A thunderstorm was going over the city, sending heavy rain. Charlene Converse sat by the window at her bunk, watching the jolts lightening the nightly sky. She had never been able to sleep during thunderstorms, but she had always loved to watch them in fascination.

All the other fire fighters were asleep, Lombardo even snoring. Charlene smiled slightly and returned to watch the show of Mother Nature.

While Charlene was kind of enjoying the night, Billy Walsh was caught in his own nightmare. He was shifting positions restlessly, trying to escape those demons that were hunting him.

Finally, a loud roar of thunder jerked him up. It took Billy a few moments to realise where he was. His shirt neck felt clammy and he noticed he was sweating. Cold sweat. He got up and felt nausea coming up. Wow, that nightmare surely had had an impact in him.

He heard thunder again and saw lightening illuminating the bunk room for a split second. He knew that Charlene would be awake as she had never been able to sleep during thunderstorms, so Walsh quietly went over to her bunk, careful not to wake anyone. Having company would be good now, and to maybe even talk.