Chapter 8: Meeting the Victim

Stella answers the door, "Hello."

"Hi, I'm Nick Mala," the man says. "I believe you are Stella."

She nods slowly, fear rising for Elizabeth with Mac having gone to work today like he has the rest of the week, about a week and a half after the transfusion. Nick could easily overpower her and take the baby to save himself.

"My mother sent me to kidnap your daughter to save myself from the leukemia, but I swear I won't. At this point, I just want to die and get away from it," he says.

She looks curiously at him, "I tried to convince your mother that you're better off… letting life take its course, but she wouldn't listen."

"Can I take you out to lunch as a thank you for letting your daughter be used to help me even though I didn't want to be helped?" he asks.

Strangely Stella trusts him, "Okay, I've got to bring Elizabeth with me though."

"I don't mind," he says, following her in.

"Just let me grab my coat and the diaper bag," she reaches into the closet by the door. After wrapping Elizabeth in a blanket and putting a hat on her head, Stella hands her to Nick so she could put her coat on.

"She looks a lot like you," he smiles at the girl as they leave the apartment.

Fifteen minutes later they were seated in a little Italian restaurant. "I'm sorry for what my brother did to you," Nick begins. "He's never been violent before, especially with women. Sure, he got in a few fights as a kid, but what boy doesn't?"

"I never even suspected anything violent would happen, even after the website was discovered," Stella says.

"I… I knew about the website. Frankie showed me one time, but I never went back there. You're beautiful, but it was just wrong of him, especially when he said the best part was that you didn't know about it. I should have said something, gotten it taken off the internet, put him in prison before he could hurt you," he says.

"I could've had him stopped before he attacked me, but I didn't," she says quietly. "I wasn't expecting it." She takes out a bottle and hands it to Elizabeth.

"It must have been hard to find out you were pregnant with his child and not have an abortion or put her up for adoption."

"Your mother came to see me at work one day and accidentally ended up telling me about you. I couldn't help but think I had killed two people. I kind of suspected I was pregnant then, and it ended up I was, which I thought was a good thing because I could save you if the baby's blood matched. I gave birth on a pitch black, broken down elevator and afterwards, I wasn't sure I wanted her to be used for a blood transplant, so your mother threatened to file for custody if I wouldn't give her Elizabeth. She's still going to because she's afraid of losing you too," Stella explains.

"I won't let her take your daughter; I need to tell her, make her listen," he promises. Stella gives him a small smile of appreciation. "Don't blame yourself for Frankie's death, and don't blame yourself when I pass. It's not your fault."

"I used to think it was my fault; I pulled the trigger. But he forced me to and ended his own life. It's his fault you're going to die too because he got himself killed, leaving you helpless," Stella says.

"No, it's God's fault I'm going to die; he made me this way."

"After my childhood, I don't believe in Him. I grew up in an orphanage, never adopted in eighteen years. Left because no one wanted me."

"Sure they do," Nick says. "Elizabeth want you, your boyfriend wants you. I'm glad we had this chance to talk today."

CSI: NY

"Have a good day?" Mac asks, walking in later.

"I talked to Frankie's brother. We went out to lunch."

"Should I put surveillance in the bedroom?" he teases.

"He said his mother sent him to kidnap Elizabeth."

"Doesn't look like he succeeded."

"He's ready to die. He believes it's what God wants. I think his mother will stop threatening to take custody of the baby," Stella says blankly.

Mac sits next to her, kissing her cheek. "It's okay. He can't be saved any longer."

"Mac?"

"Yes, Stel?"

"If something ever happens and you have to chose between me surviving on life support and pulling the plug, let me go."

A/N: Would have put this up sooner but I spent the night at my friend's. The night before I was at Grandma's with my cousin. SHe kept me up 'til two in the morning because she was writing some stupid story and didn't know how to spell half the words, and she thought there was someone in the closet. Oh, Stella does say she'll meet Frankie at her place. They apparently forgot that later on when they were writing All Access. Who took Mac to the roller derby, Peyton? She might have since she seemed to drag him to the opera (Mac looked happy when his phone rang). Anyway, last chapter to come soon. Maybe I'll post it at 11:30 to keep you all up until midnight.