Chapter 5

Jake arrived at the hospital a few hours after Frank had been brought in. His trip to the sheriff's department was mostly a waste of time. Gonzales, the escapee, wouldn't say anything to Jake about Turner's plans. When he walked into the waiting room, he found Elaina curled up in one of the chairs with a blanket.

"Elaina, how's he doing?" Jake asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"He's still out. Reese is in there with him. He was lucky; the bullet missed the artery. I never knew he could bleed like that," she said, putting her hand through her hair. "I couldn't take seeing him lying there. I hope you don't think I'm a horrible person."

"I don't think it sounds horrible. I'm sure it's difficult to see the person you love lying in a hospital bed," Jake said, sitting down across from her in a chair.

"I've been here before. This isn't the first time he's been shot. It just seems to be different now. I hope you never have to feel this, I wouldn't wish it on anyone." Her voice drifted off while she spoke. She wasn't ready to tell anyone exactly what she had been through and why she couldn't stand to be in hospitals. She pulled herself from her thoughts.

Jake noticed her demeanor seemed to change from a worried wife to a federal agent. He wondered how she could do that so easily.

"Okay, what did Gonzales say?" she asked.

"Nothing he clammed up. If we're going to take down Turner and Bradshaw, we're going to have to do it without any help from him," Jake replied.

"I honestly didn't think he'd talk. I'd like to know how they got here so quick, they were in Illinois." Elaina pondered. "Which is actually ironic; I had Collin put there to have him far away from me and Derek. Now we've moved to Chicago."

"Do you think he tried to find you in Chicago first, then followed you?" Jake wondered.

"I don't know if he knew we had moved or not. He does have a few friends left in Laurel. They could have told him," Elaina said. "Maybe he did follow us, but we came on a private plane. They couldn't have stowed away on it."

"It wasn't discovered they were missing until morning, which means they probably got out during the night sometime. They probably stole a car and drove here nonstop."

"It's possible. It's only about a twenty-hour drive and that's if you drive the speed limit…which I doubt they did." She then remembered the phone call she got before all hell broke loose. "Oh…I got an update on the one escapee unaccounted for." Elaina started laughing. "He tried to hold up a bar."

"What's so funny about that?" Jake wondered.

"There was a retirement party going on." She had to stop to control her laughter. "I'm sorry…it was a party…for a retiring police chief. The whole bar was full of cops."

"You're kidding right?"

Elaina laughed and shook her head. She was laughing so hard she started to have tears in her eyes. She was dabbing them dry when Reese came in. "Is he awake?"

Reese sat down next to his sister. "Not yet. The doctor is in checking on him. I thought I'd come out see how you're doing."

Elaina finally stopped laughing. "I'm fine. I have Jake keeping me company."

"Did the guy I caught tell you anything?" Reese asked.

"Afraid not. He isn't going to help us," Jake said, leaning back in his chair.

"Jake, why don't you call the ranch and have a hand come after you? You look really tired," Elaina said.

"I'll be fine. You look like you could use some sleep too. Did you sleep last night?"

"Not really. Guilty conscience I guess. I should have known better than hide something like this from him."

"He'll get over it, Sis. Do you want me to go back in with him?" Reese asked.

"Why are willing to stay with him? Last I heard, you two didn't care for one another," Elaina asked, "Will you please tell me why?"

"Frank and I have always disagreed as to what caused your premature labor. If he had been here with you, the stress of him leaving wouldn't have caused the complications that you had," Reese replied. "He says it my always coming to you for help with my flight school, which caused the stress."

"Neither of you are right; it was just something that happened. So both of you can get over it." Elaina knew it was a lie for they both knew why she had gone into premature labor and it wasn't stress. She figured it was for Jake's sake not hers.

"I'll apologize when he does," Reese said, leaning back into the chair.

"I think you can apologize now. He's a captive audience he has to listen. Maybe he'll apologize to you," Elaina said when the doctor came into the waiting room with a smile on his face. "That smile tells me he's awake and wants to go home," Elaina said, getting out of her chair.

"That was the first thing he told me," the doctor said with a bit of a laugh. "The second was that he wants to see you."

"Thank you, Doc. Is he strong enough for more than one visitor?" Elaina asked,.

"As long as you don't stay too long," the doctor said, leaving to finish his rounds.

Elaina walked down the corridor to Frank's room. It was only two doors down on the opposite side of the waiting room. Jake and Reese stayed behind to give her a few moments with him alone. Frank was lying with his eyes closed. Elaina figured he had drifted back to sleep, so she gently sat down on the bed next to him. He opened his eyes putting his hand over hers.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you. Doc says you want to leave." She bent over to kiss his forehead.

"I hate this place…too many memories." Frank replied, still a little groggy from the surgery.

"I know, but you have to stay here until you get stronger," she said with a slight smile. "Or until our little plan works."

"Next time, I get to shoot you," Frank said, gritting his teeth from the pain. "When was the last time you were certified on handguns?"

"When I got the promotion. It was your fault, if you hadn't turned to say something, I wouldn't have hit you," Elaina replied. "By the way what were you going to say?"

"I was going to say, I was hoping you'd changed your mind. Were you that angry with me that you just decided to make it real?"

"If you wanted to change the plan, why didn't you say something before you took off? I'm not a mind reader you know," Elaina asked. "So see, it's your fault."

"Yeah right, my fault. Couldn't you have allowed for some thing to happen? I mean a snake or something could have scared Velvet. You really should have thought this through more before pulling the trigger."

"It was an accident. We need to keep Turner and his friend away from the ranch. With one of us being in here was a good way of accomplishing that," Elaina said. "You did volunteer. I'm really sorry that the bullet hit you, but…"

"I know! It's my fault!" Frank interrupted her.

Elaina bent down and kissed him on the lips.

"If that's an apology, I think I need a better one than that."

Elaina kissed him again with a little more passion. "Does that apology work for you?" Elaina asked, moving away from him seeing him smiling at her. "We better get Jake in here and explain what happened."

"I thought you would've already done it. You're not being very professional," Frank said, teasing her.

"I've been a little busy worrying about you," Elaina replied, before walking back to the waiting room to get Jake.

"I should've told you this when you first showed up, but I was a little preoccupied," Elaina said while she and Jake walked back into Frank's room. "I'm the one who shot him."

Jake was sure he had heard her wrong. He looked to Frank and then back to Elaina. "That's funny. I thought you said you shot Frank."

"I did. I wasn't supposed to really hit him. It's all his fault." She smiled at Frank while he glared back at her.

"We figured out Collin was having the place watched. We wanted to give him a clear target of us to keep him from the children. Reese said there were two men watching. One got away from him, so we know Turner should know about the shooting. But just in case, we also put it in the news," Elaina explained. "We're just trying to keep him from the ranch, so we came up with the plan of Frank being shot."

"You thought of the plan," Frank replied. He didn't want any credit for it.

"Boy, you sure are a stickler for details," Elaina joked, turning to face him.

"If you were, I wouldn't be in this bed," Frank said, moving his shoulder. He moaned in pain from the effort.

"If you'd lay still it wouldn't hurt," Elaina pointed out while Frank gave her an icy stare. "Here, I'll help you sit up more." She put her arms around him and he put his good arm around her. She raised the bed up to the sitting position and let go of him, but he kept her close to him. "You can let go anytime now."

Before Frank let her go, he kissed her. The kiss lingered for a while between the two of them, when Jake cleared his throat.

"Sorry, Jake," Elaina said, moving away from Frank, so he wouldn't try anything else to embarrass Jake, or herself.

"So what was this plan…other than getting Frank shot?" Jake wondered.

"I called the ranch while you were still at the Sheriff's office. I told the ladies to get a ranch hand to drive them and horses to the access road leading to the cabin. At sunrise, which is in an hour, they will make their way to the cabin and see if the men are still there. Hopefully, they'll be asleep when they get there."

"So they can get the drop on them?" Jake wondered.

"No. I don't want them doing it alone they'll have Cody call the sheriff, who is on standby for back up. Plus, you and I will fly up there with Reese," Elaina explained.

"I'm going too," Frank said.

"Yeah right! You're going to pretend your ass is glued to that bed." Elaina gave him an icy glare. "Jake, will you stay with him to make sure he doesn't get up. I need to get out of here for a while."

"Where are you going? You're the one who needs the bodyguard," Frank wondered. He knew the hospital bothered her more than him. He wanted to hold her, but his shoulder was throbbing with every breath he took. He was starting to second think his decision of no painkillers. The doctor said he probably would change his mind. His reason for not taking them was that he wanted to stay alert in case Collin showed up.

"I'll be with Reese. I'm sure he can save me if I get into trouble," Elaina said, trying to ease his worries.

She was on her way out when she was met by a U.S. Marshal. Jake saw him hand her something and she thanked him before turning to come back into the room. "What was that about?" Jake asked.

"The marshal was just checking in and they brought us radio communications." She handed Jake a headset and put one on herself, she had another one in her hand for Frank. "You aren't going to use this for a while I want you to get some more sleep."

"Yes Ma'am." Frank gave her a mock salute with his left hand. "I'll sleep when you and Jake stop yapping."

"I have a few more questions," Jake said, "We can step outside."

They walked out the door; shutting it so they didn't disturb Frank. "What would you like to know?" Elaina asked.

"What about the safety of the other patients?" Jake asked.

"We had most of the floor evacuated, there are just the doctors, and nurses for Frank left on the floor."

"Good. Now, I have a question about this plan. I once offered to be used to get Sonny and Quito out of hiding. Frank said it was my ego making me think it would work. How is this plan different from the one I had?"

"We're trying to protect our children more than ourselves. Sometimes you have to do things you normally wouldn't when loved ones are involved. Even then, certain situations call for personal feelings to be put aside. But this isn't one of them."

"You mean if something had happened to you, Frank would try to ignore his emotions to work the case?"

"Exactly. Now can I go rest for a while? That is, if I answered your questions successfully."

"I understand now. Go take a nap you need one."

"Just make sure he stays in that bed!"

The sun was just starting to rise when the ladies arrived at the access road. A ranch hand helped them unload the horses, then stayed with the truck and trailer. Sabrina, Alex, and Monica headed into the thickest part of the woods, keeping the road in sight to follow it to the cabin. Elaina had put Alex in charge of the team.

"Elaina, can you hear me?"

"I hear you loud and clear, Alex." Elaina answered, walking into Frank's room. "Are you at the cabin yet?"

"We're almost there. It's pretty quiet around here," Alex answered, looking around the area.

"Stay in the woods use extreme caution while you approach the cabin," Elaina advised. "They may lay in wait for someone to show."

"Did you have to say that? It's just too damn quiet for me," Monica wondered. It wasn't totally quiet; the birds were up, singing, and chirping in the early morning air.

"Elaina is always thinking the worst. Just keep all your senses open, if you see birds and other small animals running from you, no one else has been around there recently," Frank said, trying to calm them.

Sabrina was pleasantly surprised to hear Franks voice. "I'm happy to hear you with us. Are you feeling okay?"

"Let's just say I can tell I've been shot and leave it at that."

"How do you know so much about animals? I thought you were a city boy like Jake?" Monica asked.

"That was an assumption on your part. I love the outdoors." Frank answered. "Hank taught me to watch the animals close." He moved his shoulder again and the pain streaked through his whole body.

They soon arrived near the cabin, where they dismounted to wait a while to see if there was any movement in it. "They're either asleep or gone. We don't see or hear anyone," Alex reported.

"Please tell me each of you brought a gun," Elaina wondered.

"Yes, Sabrina fought us on it, but Cody convinced her to take it," Monica answered.

"Very carefully make you're way to the windows and look in. Have your guns ready at all times," Frank ordered.

They slowly crept over to the cabin each of them looking into a window. Monica found the bedroom empty, while Alex and Sabrina didn't see anything from their windows either.

"They're not much on housekeeping," Sabrina joked, turning away from the window. "There's no sign of them."

Alex and Sabrina walked towards the back of the cabin. "There are some fresh tracks leading to the woods from the back door," Alex told them.

"Check them out, but don't get too far from each other," Frank said. "Don't forget to check the car and truck."

"I got the car and truck. Monica said. Alex, you and Sabrina check the prints."

"The ranch is south of here isn't it, Elaina?" Sabrina asked

"Yes, why?"

"The footprints are leading deep into the woods to the south. I don't think we should go any further in," Alex said.

"What about the car and truck?" Jake asked over his headset.

"The truck has a hole in the radiator and the car has a flat," Monica answered.

"Cody, are you there?" Elaina wondered if he was asleep yet.

"Listening and hanging on every word," Cody replied over the radio.

"Good, then you know they could be headed in your direction. Are the children in the safe room?" Elaina wondered.

"I'm here with Cody. Sarah is sleeping in the room," Derek answered.

"I want you to get in that safe room and don't come out until one of us opens the door." Elaina knew he would wait until the last moment to go if she didn't force him.

"I'm going," Derek said, handing the radio back to Cody, who watched him shut the door.

"They're both tucked away." Cody said.

"Not that I don't think you and the ranch hands can protect them, but if for any reason you need help, Derek is a pretty good shot," Elaina mentioned.

Frank was surprised. "Have you lost your mind? Cody, do not give him a gun or you will be the next one in this hospital bed!"

"Yes Sir, I understand completely. I value my life very much," Cody said, quickly.

Elaina looked at Frank. She was not pleased with him disagreeing with her. "Listen, our son is more than capable of handling a gun, he knows how to use one."

"By whom…you? That's very reassuring to me right at this moment," Frank said, trying to get out of bed, but Jake stopped him.

"You're not going to let me live this down. Where do you think you're going?" Elaina asked, looking at her husband.

"I'm going to get dressed. I'd like to have my clothes on if we find out they're at the ranch. Don't even try to stop me!" He tried to stand again. His legs felt like rubber and they barely held him up, so he quickly sat back down again. "As far as Derek is concerned, he knows how to defend himself in other ways."

"I presume you taught him how to duck a bullet. That's reassuring to me," Elaina replied. "Ladies, what are you doing now?"

"We're just searching the cabin. We haven't found anything to tell us what they're up to," Monica reported.

"You might as well head back to the ranch. I have a feeling they're going there." She turned her attention back to Frank. He was still trying to stand up. "Jake, you might as well help him get ready. I'll go tell Reese what's going on," Elaina said, leaving the room.

Jake helped him dress and then he laid back down. Elaina knew that she couldn't keep Frank from doing what he wanted. She jerked the headset off while she went to the waiting room.

"You look like hell, Sis. You really need some sleep," Reese said, walking over to her.

"When this is all over, I'll try again. I tried earlier but couldn't. It isn't helping matters that Frank is being his usual self, in not obeying orders." Elaina sulked while she leaned against the wall. "We have the girls heading back to the ranch. We'll be ready if Collins shows there."

The ladies looked around a little more, then decided to get moving back to the road. They were just about to the horses when Sabrina was suddenly grabbed from behind. She screamed, as did Alex when she was grabbed too. "Run, Monica!" Alex yelled when Monica took off running.

Shots rang out over Monica's head, but she kept running, hoping the others wouldn't be hurt. Getting away meant she could help the others rescue them.

"Alex, this is Cody! What's going on? Monica! Somebody please answer!" Cody yelled into the radio.

"They have Alex and Sab… I'm away from them. I can still see the cabin… they took… them inside," Monica said, trying to catch her breath.

Jake, Frank and Elaina had heard what went on and were on the move. Frank was headed down the hall with Jake before Elaina could make it back to his room. They made their way up to the helicopter pad where Reese was waiting on them.

"For a guy that couldn't move earlier, you're doing pretty well now," Reese said, when Frank climbed in beside him.

"Before all hell broke lose he finally took something for the pain," Jake told Elaina.

"Great! I hope it wasn't that strong or he won't be any help," Elaina replied when they approach the helicopter.

"You do realize I can hear every word you're saying," Frank said when they got settled inside.

"Yes, I know." Elaina just hoped he had enough adrenaline to stay alert.