Shout-out to my reviewers:
baesruletheworld: "okay OH MY GOD This chapter is so good. and I love the crossovers you keep bringing in and all the mentions. AND THE SUSPENSE" Aw, thank you; you made my day with this!
Ghostwriter: "Oooh, Richard. You're just digging yourself deeper. Love how efficiently and effortlessly everyone worked in tandem. Keep up the great work." This review totally made my day! I'm glad I could work in the criminals' point of view without flaw!
Mistra Rose: I hope you'll come back soon to review!
Puck and Rachel fan: Thank you!
Note: This takes place the ending of Season 4 Episode 18, "Fear Nothing". Also, Richard Wheatley's PB will be someone besides Dylan McDermott since he is now playing Remy Scott on FBI: Most Wanted and, in this reality, he is doing a rotation with Jess (who I have no plans to kill off). Some dialogue is used from Season 5, Episode 1 "Hero's Journey".
Previously, in "Persuasive Tactics", Jubal, Maggie and their kids are put in danger's way when they're targeted by narcotics crime lord Richard Wheatley.
Flashback trigger warnings: Language, rape, violence
Chapter Nine
"You only turn 15 once," Jubal says to both of his boys. But it's Tyler who takes charge over his dad's attempt at a joke about the twins' age and birthday.
"That's what you said last year. When we turned 14."
"He loves you, Ty," Sam, her pregnancy more evident by the glow and round swell in her eighth month of it, says as she waddles along with her ex-husband and their boys. "Don't give him a tough time. We're all going through a lot, including your dad."
"When is Maggie going to wake up, Dad?" It's Jordan who speaks up with the inevitable question, bringing up the elephant in the space so to speak.
Jubal blows out the heaviest sigh. As if he's letting the responsibility of carrying the weight of the world be lifted off his shoulders. "You're definitely nothing in comparison to Atlas," Maggie says to him one night as they're in bed. "You may want to be him but I know it's further from the truth. I know you, Jubal. Don't take all the responsibilities that don't belong to you. Let someone take care of you for once."
Jubal kissed Maggie's forehead with love and affection in his eyes. "I'll do my best."
That conversation is precious and oh so cherished because it took place a week before Maggie was placed into a medical-induced coma following her exposure to the lethal gas during the last case she physically worked to help solve to save her and their baby.
Now it was a waiting game. "Soon, buddy. Real soon…"
Abby had gotten permission from Delia Reynolds, Mt. Sinai's patient care administrator and a fellow physician, to take some time off from work so that Abby's brother Jubal wouldn't miss work himself, not spend time with his children or help take care of Maggie's two girls.
But today, while Abby is out running errands, Delia is checking in on Maggie. The brunette is in the middle of going through the basic vital check when she feels a slight jump in Maggie's pulse. Startled Delia lifts her brown eyes sharply upward to watch Maggie's dark eyelashes flutter several times. "Maggie, if you can hear my voice, wiggle your fingers for me."
With a great internal struggle and a long-winded game of tug-of-war with the neurons in her brain, Maggie does her best to do as Delia has asked of her and moves her fingers one at a time. Maggie's eyelashes flutter a little harder with a tougher and more resilient goal of getting her eyes open. In moments the deep dark cinnamon gaze that belongs to her meets Delia's. "Mmm," she groans from around the breathing tube inserted into her mouth.
Gentle touches greet Maggie's smooth but somewhat pale skin as Delia works to remove the tube. Once another doctor that came in to assist Delia had left the room with the breathing tub, Maggie takes long sips of the water Delia offers her. "What happened while I was in a coma?" she asks.
"You mean besides that?" Delia's slim fingers wave in a gesture toward the round swell of Maggie's baby belly. "I thought we agreed to tell each other everything."
"Like how you've failed to mention all the whispered conversations you didn't think I could hear between you and a certain Organized Crime detective," Maggie fires back as her retort.
Delia huffs. "That's different."
"Is it though? Our situations might not be the same, Dee, but you and me? We love like we're going to lose sight of it. We may be independent women but our strength comes from the heart and we don't give that up easily. So don't you give up on winning his heart."
"Okay, but only if you fight for Jubal's heart," Delia replies.
"What are you talking about?" Maggie asks, confusion making her eyebrows move into a perfect gymnast's style of an arch bend.
"I thought you knew. Jubal has been seeing some brunette. I think her name starts with an R," Delia replies.
Rina. Of course she would try and worm her way back into Jubal's good graces after he broke things off. Broke it off in order to move forward into a relationship with Maggie.
Maggie's first day back on the job is spent reassuring her work partner and Amy that she is more than okay to let Amy step into Maggie's place for this case. "I'll be okay here. Isobel and Elise will take care of me."
At this the two other brunettes nod their heads in a united agreement front, immediately flanking around Maggie; gentle hands curling around her strong shoulders. "She'll be alright here," Isobel says in a tone that doesn't leave room for arguing with her.
Maggie's friend and partner and his estranged wife nod and head out with the rest of the team. Jamie Kellett, a new addition to the New York teams and Maggie's somewhat former sister in law (it's complicated) stays behind as well. Maggie turns to Jamie. "You didn't have to stay with me."
"Ronan contacted me. At least I think it was him. I don't know." Jamie pulls her phone out to show Maggie the text messages from an unknown number.
Typing the number into her phone Maggie writes the person a message. Tell me one thing that only my brother would know about me.
A trio of bubbles appear seconds later, making both Maggie and Jamie hold their breath. Mark the Rockwell calendar post on Page Five, the other person writes back in their responding text message. Pushing with all her might Maggie goes and pokes Elise's forearm. She writes "brother MIA, trace number"; writing the number below her message.
With a firm nod Elise gets the message which Maggie is non-verbally sending her way and gets right to work. With help from Ian and Trevor, Elise finally pinpoints Ronan O'Sullivan's last known exact location and hands a ripped off piece of paper to the pregnant agents.
"What in the world is he doing in Venezuela?"