Chapter 4

Nate and Sterling were transported to Portland General Hospital and immediately both men were redlined into the operating theatres. Olivia was taken to the waiting rooms by one of the detectives who had arrived on the scene.

"Olivia can you tell me what happened?" The detective asked her handing her a glass of water as they sat down.

"I…I don't know, this man came to our house." Olivia said playing the innocent and naive young girl who was scared out of her wits, she did not have to do much to make it work as she was scared, scared both Nate and her father were going to die.

"Mr Sterling?"

"Yes…he came to our house then he started telling my father it was all his fault, his and Uncle Nate's fault that he had spent time in prison and that he was going to get them back for it." She used the word Uncle to make sure that the detective knew she was connected to both men.

"Uncle Nate?"

"Nate Ford…" Olivia said. "He worked with my dad a long time ago for an insurance company IYS."

"I see…"

"Then he…he…he hurt my dad…" Olivia said her voice faltering.

"I know this is hard Olivia but please try…"

"He hurt my dad and then called Uncle Nate and told him he was going to…to…kill me if he did not come to the house." Olivia stammered.

"And then…" The detective prompted her.

"Then he told Uncle Nate he was going to kill my dad, then him and then me.." Olivia said tears welling in her eyes. "Then…then he shot my dad and Uncle Nate pushed me and tried to…tried to save me and then fell on me when…when the man shot him…he…he was bleeding and then he shot him again and…and…then it was quiet…"

"So he left."

"I don't know…I was under Uncle Nate."

"Ok…then what happened?"

"Then I called 911…" Olivia said softly bowing her head. Then she looked up at the detective tears streaking her face. "They are going to be ok…please…" Hardison made a note to tap into the 911 system and make sure the voice recording was not of him but of Olivia, he was sure the detective would review the call, but not right away.

"I don't know Olivia, they were both hurt pretty badly, but I am sure the doctors will do everything they can for them both." The detective said feeling sorry for the young girl who sat beside him, she was covered in one of the men's blood and from her description of what had happened he presumed it was Nate Fords. From his experience the wounds the two men had suffered were about as serious as they got, and their chances were not good.

"Do you have family you can call?" The detective asked and Olivia looked up at him wiping her eyes.

"Yes…my Aunt Sophie." She said she knew the woman would want to be there and she owed the whole team, even more now after Nate may have given his life for her. Besides, she had got to know the Fords quite well as Nate had helped her dad out on a few cases after they were married, and she had attended their wedding with her dad.

"Ok well you can use my phone if you want to call her."

"Thank you…" Olivia said as she took the proffered phone. She knew Sophie's number because her dad had told her if she were ever in trouble and she could not get hold of him to phone either Nate or Sophie.

"Hello." Sophie answered her phone immediately having heard everything through the coms that Olivia had taken before they left.

"Aunty Sophie…" Olivia said softly. "My dad and Uncle Nate have been hurt they are at the hospital can you come?" She asked playing her part for the detective.

"Of course Olivia, tell me what happened." Sophie said knowing the detective would be listening and it had to sound like she did not know anything about anything.

"They…they…were shot by a man who…oh Aunty Sophie please just come."

"I'll be right there. Which hospital."

"Portland General." Olivia told her.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." Sophie said then hung up the phone.

"She said she would come she will be here in twenty minutes."

"She your dad's sister?"

"No…she is my mom's sister…my mom died." Olivia replied.

"Hardison…"

"Done man." Hardison said knowing he needed to get the correct cover in place for Sophie. It was a good angle to take he thought and quick thinking by the young girl. Her mom was deceased with no family so it should be easy to get Sophie covered on that front.

"Use Devereaux, if something happens…" They all looked at him but understood, under the strain of facing Nate's death they might blow any other cover Hardison put in place for them. "Be careful Sophie they are going to be suspicious if you concentrate on Nate and..."

"I know but…"

"Go." Eliot said as she took her keys then looked back at them. "We will be along as soon as Hardison has some cover for us."

Sophie nodded then almost ran out the door to her waiting car. Arriving at the hospital Olivia almost threw herself at her and she embraced her feeling the sobs wrack her as she let the emotion flow from her. She was also aware of the detective watching them.

"Olivia…" Sophie said pushing her away slightly after a few minutes and Olivia had somewhat regained her composure. "Tell me what happened."

"Mrs…?"

"Devereaux" She said looking from Olivia to the detective. "Olivia's mom was my sister. You are?"

"I am detective Rogers I came with Olivia and your brother-in-law and Mr Ford to the hospital."

"I see what happened?" Sophie asked as she took Olivia over to the chairs and took a seat not letting go of the girl's hand.

The detective explained to her what he knew of what had happened, repeating what Olivia had told him, then he asked what she knew about the two men.

"Nate is a good friend to James, they used to work together at IYS."

"Yes I believe so and the man who did this seems to be connected to one of their cases back in the day."

"Oh my God." Sophie said playing her part perfectly.

"Do you know anything about their past cases Mrs Devereaux?"

"No…no James never talked to Susan about his cases. He said the world was hard enough without her having to deal with that kind of thing." Sophie said looking at Olivia.

"Yes well…Olivia cannot remember the man's name, but I am hoping she can sit with our artist and give us an identikit of him though." He said, the girl was now in the custody of her aunt and as she was underaged they would have to work through Sophie to even question her further.

"I'm sure Olivia can do that can't you sweetheart?" Sophie said looking at her. "But first we need to know what is happening with her father and Nate."

"Of course, and we will also ensure that they are both afforded protection in case this man returns." Rogers said and Sophie cursed silently at that, that was going to make things difficult then she had an idea.

"What about James' team?" Sophie asked looking at the detective in a manner which indicated she had just thought of something.

"Sorry?" He asked confused by the question.

"James' team, I am sure you know he works for Interpol?"

"No, no I didn't." The detective said looking at her with interest, this changed things slightly.

"Yes well after James left IYS he was invited to join Interpol. His team is also here in town now I am sure they would want to know what has happened."

"Of course." The detective said. "Do you have a number for them?"

"I think I do…" Sophie said making a show of looking for something in her bag, then she pulled out a slip of paper with a scrawled number on it. "James said if I could not get hold of him on his number I should call Eliot, his second in command of the unit." She said handing him Eliot's number.

Eliot smiled as he listened into the conversation, trust Sophie to find a way to get them in. He looked at Hardison who nodded putting their cover in place as Eliot's phone rang. It took the team an hour to get to the hospital, Eliot had insisted that they could not arrive in minutes it would raise suspicion. On arrival he immediately went to speak to the detective along with the others and then told him they would be providing protection as Sterling was one of their own. The detective of course understood and agreed to them working with the police on the case. He had called Interpol to check on the validity of Sophie's story and found James Sterling was indeed and Interpol agent and he had a three-man team consisting of two men and a woman who were all now at the hospital, his second was Eliot Spenser the man he was speaking to now.

"Well I am going to go and check in with my colleagues at the crime scene, I assume you can take care of things here?" He said to Eliot, he wanted to go over the crime scene again and get a full report from his own team on what had happened. He was sure that Sterling's men could take care of security at the hospital for right now, besides nobody was going to do anything to either man while they were in surgery. "I will let you know if there are any developments,"

"Yes we can…thank you detective, and of course we will notify you of any change in the situation here as well." Eliot said shaking the man's hand before watching him leave.

Once he had left Sophie turned to Olivia.

"I don't know…I went with my dad and…and he…he stopped breathing in the ambulance." She said in response to the unasked question and unable to keep the emotion out of her voice and the tears from falling again. "Nate was in a different ambulance and when we arrived they were both taken away."

Eliot looked at the girl and his heart ached for her and the agony she was going through, she had already lost her mother and could lose her father now too. She was her father's daughter though, to play the part she had and ensure that Sophie could get to Nate despite the desperate situation. But then she had had a hard life up to now, a life that they had helped her escape from a few years before. Turning he walked over to the nurses' desk and flashed his badge explaining who he was and that they needed to be informed of any developments with either Nate or Sterling. The nurse made a note and told him the doctors would be directed to them when any news was available. Returning to the group he took as seat with the others, all of them waiting for news and hoping it would be good news and not news of either man's death.

"Olivia I think we need to get you cleaned up and changed." Sophie said looking at the girl. "Parker get Olivia some clothes to change into won't you?"

"Sure." Parker said then headed off.

"They are going to be alright aren't they Sophie?" Olivia whispered squeezing the woman's hand tightly.

"I don't know Olivia." Sophie said honestly, she did not want to lie and give the girl false hope only to have it dashed later. "But they are both strong and stubborn men and both of them have a lot to live for."

Olivia looked at her and the threw her arms around her burying her head on her neck.

"They will make it." She whispered over and over again as Sophie held her.