DISCLAIMER: WISH THEY WERE MINE, SO I COULD SHARE THEM.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

NOTES:

* Bringing you this chapter, from a night that was filled with insomnia - But hey, it means I've got this chapter finished and posted.

* Hope you enjoy and reviews welcome.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Chapter 44: Accused.

The following morning:

The previous evening and night had been incredibly long and draining, with none of the family being able to get much sleep. As Maria Andrews was still a potential suspect the boys had decided to keep tabs on her and had followed her to her meeting. When she had come out Gordon and John had continued to tail her, while Scott and Alan received an update from Gerry. To both Alan and Scott's horror, the board had decided that because no charges had been made, she would be allowed to take some leave if needed. However, she could also return to work whenever she wanted, and had requested to do so the following morning. Due to this development Scott and Alan had joined John and Gordon, who had hired a car and were staking out her home. None of them wanting to let her out of their sights just in case she tried to attack Virgil one more time.

Jeff had immediately returned to the hospital and received the full update on Virgil's condition from his mother. Due to the side-effects continuing and Virgil's emotional state, Jeff decided he would stay with him overnight, while his mother returned to the hotel for some rest. The night had brought some good news, when Doctor Knight updated Jeff on Virgil's recent test results. He reported that even though the migraines and the sickness were currently persisting, after some further checks it was confirmed that they were indeed temporary, and would begin to fade within the next 24 hours. Also, thankfully Virgil's breathing had improved, and he would no longer require any additional support. This however, did bring added worry for Jeff when the doctor happily revealed that Virgil would be moved from ICU and back onto a regular ward in the morning.

Meanwhile, Penelope had her eye on Emily Sanderson after she had talked the Commissioner into allowing herself and Parker to remain at the station and observe the interview via a live feed from another room. The first round of questioning had been brutal. The police had started by going over stuff they had asked previously. Everything from her alibi on the night Virgil was poisoned by the Hood, to the choices she had made on Virgil's treatment. They had then continued by interrogating her on the first 10 years of her life, so they could discover how her childhood had affected her as a person. Asking how she had dealt with her mother's boyfriend, who Emily confirmed had beaten them both, and how she had felt about his eventual death. It had been clear to both Penny and Parker, that because of the way Emily had reacted to the questioning, she was still deeply troubled by her childhood years. However, she had still managed to answer all the questions posed to her, and it was becoming obvious that the police seemed to believe she was telling the truth, but neither Penny or Parker felt confident enough to say either way. Thankfully, the police had decided more questioning was necessary, and because of that Emily would be staying at the station overnight, with the second part of the interview commencing the next day. Which Penelope hoped would yield some sort of clue into whether she was innocent or guilty.

… …

Jeff paced back and forth in Virgil's room, as he awaited an update on Nurse Andrews current location. Virgil had been moved back to the ward two hours previously and since then he had been constantly worried for his son's safety.

"Jeff, sit down," His mother scolded.

Jeff glanced over at his mother, and then at Virgil who was clutching tightly to the sick bowl. Dropping onto the seat next to his son, Jeff stroked his hand softly through Virgil's hair. "How are you feeling son?"

"Migraines not too bad," Virgil answered.

"And the sickness?" Jeff asked. As if on cue, Virgil curled up over the sick bowl and threw up. "It's okay son," he soothed, while Ruth called the nurse.

The nurse entered, changed the bowl for him and handed Virgil some water. "Thank you," Virgil muttered, "throwing up loads."

"Yes, I can see," she replied, "but don't worry, as soon as the Rynax is out of your system, you'll start feeling much better."

"Hope so," Virgil muttered, "Want to go home!"

"Unfortunately, I don't think that will be happening," The nurse responded sympathetically.

Virgil scrunched up his face. "Why not?"

"You've got two broken legs, a fracture to your back, plus a few other injuries. I really don't think any of the doctors will want to let you out of their sights for a while!" She stated.

"Oh," Virgil sighed.

Noticing the sadness in his son's eyes Jeff leaned in and whispered. "Look, as soon as I get any hint that you are strong enough to be flown home, then I'll be organising your brothers to help in your escape from here… Okay?" Virgil nodded with a half-smile and settled himself back down. As soon as he was comfortable, and the nurse had left, Jeff continued to speak. "Your grandma mentioned what happened yesterday."

"Oh," Virgil remarked, turning slightly red as he glanced at both his dad and grandma.

"Now, I've told you before, you've got nothing to be embarrassed about!" Ruth said firmly.

"Please son, don't be ashamed of your feelings," Jeff added, "and please, don't bottle things up! If you ever need to talk, then all of us are willing to be there… There will be no judgements from any of us, just an open ear, ready to listen!"

Virgil reluctantly nodded, then glanced at the door when he noticed Alan poke his head inside the room. "Al."

"Hey Virg," Alan grinned back, "dad, we need you a sec."

Jeff stood and smiled at Virgil. "I'll be back in a bit." Jeff made his way over to Alan. "What's up?"

"Scott needs to fill you in on some stuff," Alan reported, "he's just down the hallway."

Jeff nodded, and then noticed Alan's eagerness to go in the room. "You can sit with him for a bit if you want!"

Alan grinned and happily went over to Jeff's seat, taking his brothers hand in his.

… …

"Hey," Jeff said, when he reached Scott, "what's the update?"

"Maria's currently working on a different ward," Scott replied, "but it's not too far from here, so Gordon and John are currently watching her movements."

"Any suspicious behaviour?" Jeff questioned.

"A lot!" Scott scowled. "Firstly, she left her home for work 2 hours early. We checked with Gerry and she wasn't due in until 8am."

"What was she doing?" Jeff asked.

"She arrived at the hospital, went to the canteen, then she got changed. After that she stayed in a common room near the ICU until she started work," Scott answered.

Jeff frowned. "While Virgil was still there?"

"Yes… And she had no reason to use that particular one either," Scott stated, "especially when there's one next to the ward she's on today."

Jeff breathed out. "What about Penny and Parker, have we heard from them?"

"Yes," Scott confirmed, "Penny called about half an hour ago, and said the police were just about to start with the second round of questioning. She promised to update us later."

"Good," Jeff responded.

"What's wrong dad?" Scott asked, noting the sadness in his father's eyes.

"Just thinking that no matter who is guilty, the outcome for both would be bad," Jeff sighed, "Emily went through so much as a child, and she seems to have pulled herself through it, if she's guilty then she's possibly thrown it all away… For a father who doesn't care… And if it's Maria, then she's got three younger brothers who will lose their sister and guardian. There's no way any authorities would let the 18-year-old look after his two younger brothers… So, they will probably be taken into care."

"I know dad, but what can we do? We can't let whoever did this get away with it!" Scott stated.

"No, we definitely can't," Jeff agreed, "whoever's done this is a danger to Virgil, themselves and others, and they need to be caught… It's just... It's really sad!"

"I know!" Scott replied, placing his arms around his father and hugging him tightly.

Jeff returned the hug and then pulled himself up straight. "Are you heading back to join John and Gordon?"

"Yes, and Alan as well," Scott replied.

"That's if we can drag him away from your brother!" Jeff said with a laugh.

… …

Auckland Police Station: 11am.

Penelope exhaled deeply as the second round of questioning ended. The police had focussed their interrogation on Emily's mother Rebecca. How she had felt about finding her mother unconscious from the drugs overdose, to both herself and her brother being placed in the custody of her aunt. Emily had been brutally honest with her answers and had stated that if it wasn't for her aunt she would probably be dead now. When the police had questioned if she ever saw Rebecca, she confirmed that her mother had tried to make contact on several occasions, that she knew that she was married, and now had more children, but was quite firm in her response that she had no desire to ever see her again or meet her siblings.

"To be honest Parker," Penny said, breaking the silence, which had naturally occurred at the end of the questioning, "I don't know if she's guilty… She appears to be very honest with her answers, but I just can't get a proper read on her."

"I have to agree," Parker confirmed, "as you know, I can normally tell someone's character, and I can usually spot a crook a mile away, but with this Emily Sanderson, I'm just not sure. She's either innocent or she's a really good liar!"

Penny frowned. "Well, hopefully this next lot of questioning will help."

"Well, it looks like it's starting now," Parker replied, pointing to the screen that was displaying the live feed from the interview room.

… …

"So, Emily," the officer began, "what can you tell me about your relationship with your father?"

Emily sighed. "There's not much to tell."

"Well," he continued, "from what we've discovered Miss Sanderson. Your father is possibly a Christopher Harrington, who you were arrested for stalking when you were 14 years old!"

Emily nodded. "Yes, he's my father… And yes, I did stalk him when I was 14, but I was just a kid!"

"And since then?" He asked.

When Emily remained quiet the other officer pushed further with the questioning. "From what we've found, he was paying money into your aunt's bank account since you were 10... Did you know that?" Emily silently nodded her confirmation. "When you were 22, he stopped and started paying some money to you instead. Plus, when your brother Warren got arrested for car theft we believe your father paid him out of trouble. Your father seems to do that a lot, doesn't he? Pays his way out of trouble… He's done it for you, your brother, and for himself… Did you know, your father was reported by Jeff Tracy for some bad business tactics he had used?"

"My father was innocent!" Emily suddenly snapped.

"You have quite a temper brewing their Miss Sanderson!" The man remarked.

Emily breathed out, the frustration behind her eyes evident.

The officer went to continue but was stopped by someone else entering the room, who summoned both men to follow him out of the room.

… …

Meanwhile: Good Hope Hospital.

Jeff quietly stroked his hand over Virgil's head, as he continued to clutch onto the sick bowl, while Ruth sat in a nearby chair. The silence broken by Gordon running into the room. "Maria's on the ward," he puffed out.

"What… Why?" Jeff frowned.

"It looks like she was sent here to get something," Gordon replied, "Scott, Al, and John are keeping their eyes on her, but we just wanted to let you know."

Jeff frowned and went to respond but stopped when Virgil threw up again. Ruth immediately pressed the button to summon a nurse, while Gordon joined his dad by Virgil's side.

The door opened, and Nurse Maria Andrews stepped inside, stopping immediately when she saw that she was in Virgil's room. "I'm, sorry… I, err… I shouldn't be here," she stuttered, turning to leave and noticing the entrance was blocked by Scott, Alan and John.

"No, you shouldn't be here!" Scott scowled.

"I heard the buzzer," She said

Virgil looked up at her and smiled. "Hey."

Maria glanced around the room looking uncomfortable, but managed to eventually return the smile. "Hi Virgil, how are you feeling?"

"Sick," he sighed.

She nodded, noting the sick bowl. "I'll go and get another nurse for you." Maria stepped around Scott, who had been standing in front of the door, and left the room.

Scott glanced at all of them. "She's not guilty!" He stated, following her out, with his brothers close behind him. "Maria," he shouted down the corridor, "wait."

Maria turned to speak to them, but was stopped by a police officer. "Maria Andrews?" He asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"You're under arrest for the attempted murder of Virgil Tracy," he said, placing handcuffs on her.

"But, I haven't done anything!" She exclaimed.

"We have evidence which places you at the scene," he stated, leading her away.

"What evidence?" The boys all remarked, looking at each other in shock.

… …

Auckland Police Station:

"What evidence?" Penny questioned the officers after they had left the interview room.

"Our computer experts have managed to finally get an image from the computers. It clearly shows Nurse Maria Andrews with the Hood in Virgil's room," they replied.

"John couldn't get anything from those computers," Penny whispered to Parker, "they were completely wiped.

"I'm not sure how she's done it," Parker commented, "but that photographs a fake… And Emily Sanderson is one clever liar!"

"Wait here Parker," Penny stated, as she trailed behind Emily Sanderson as she left the station. Penny followed Emily down the entrance steps, and knocked into her, toppling Emily right off her feet. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Penelope lied, "here, let me help you up."

Emily scowled, but noticing her aunt waiting for her, allowed Penny to help her to her feet. "That's okay, it was just an accident."

"Penny smiled, and took her hand, noting that it was bandaged. "Oh dear, that looks painful. What happened?"

"Nothing serious, and thankfully healing nicely," Emily responded, "I'm sorry, I need to go. I have family waiting."

"Of course," Penny replied, as she watched Emily Sanderson leave with her aunt.

Parker stepped up to Penny and looked at her curiously. "What was all that about?"

"Oh, I just planted a tracking device on her," Penny grinned, "from now on we will know exactly where Emily Sanderson is... If she thinks she's getting away with this… Then she's got another thing coming!"