Rifiuto: Non Mirena

"You know, the last time I was here, you told me that breaking and entering was a bad idea, yet, you're having me do just that." The boards fell away as he worked on the door. Eventually, the plywood fell to the side and Zane was able to wedge the door open and slip inside.

"You're not breaking and entering, Zane. This is an active police investigation." Carter muttered.

"Tell that to the cops." Zane replied, pushing the door open and letting Carter in. The older man glared at him. "Right, you are the cops. Never mind." He turned from the sheriff to survey the room. The last time he'd been in this cabin, he'd been about ten-years-old, the June before his grandmother died. Slowly, Zane began to wander around, looking for evidence. Nothing in the living room looked touched, not a book was out of place. The kitchen was the same, and the rest of the cabin as well. Nothing touched, nothing out of place, not a scrap of paper or a photo to suggest that Jo had ever been held here. Slowly, Zane wandered over to the bookshelf. His eyes landed on the collection of Zane Grey novels, and his pulse skipped. "Carter, I found something."

He didn't look up as the older man joined him, just pointed to the cover in front of him. Slowly, Carter removed the book from what appeared to be a small display case on the top shelf and studied it. "Zane Grey?"

"My... mom had a first edition, signed nineteen-twelve copy of Riders of the Purple Sage, that she kept in a small display case on the bookshelf. It's... marbled boards and brown leather, with a red ribbon marker. She kept it here, because no one ever came here, and to anyone else, it would just look like an old book, not the treasure it actually is." He nodded to the novel in Carter's hands. "That's the book."

Carter scanned the shelf. "Seriously? Zane Grey? I take it your mom likes-"

"She doesn't like Zane Grey. If he'd had a fan club back in the nineteen-twenties, my mom would have been president of that club." Zane replied with a look of disgust. Carter chuckled softly, and then turned his gaze back to the book. If Zane said this was the cabin, then,

"This... is where Jo was being held."

"So, it's an old book-"

"How can you be so sure of that, Carter?" Allison demanded, cutting Fargo off. Zane paced back and forth in Fargo's office, while Carter went over all the evidence again.

"Because that book was my mom's." Zane interrupted, speaking up. "All I know is that she bought it at a flea market when she was in college. Loved Zane Grey from the moment she saw Riders of the Purple Sage on TMC, and bought every book he wrote. Grandma told me once that mom always said that if she had a son, she'd name him after..." He trailed off, glancing around at everyone. "You get the idea. And besides, the cabin is exactly as Jo described-"

"Right down to the insanely large collection of Zane Grey novels." Carter muttered. The younger man rolled his eyes.

"So, what now?" Fargo asked, taking a seat on the sofa next to Grace. Carter sighed.

"I've roped off the cabin- not that anyone goes back there nowadays, but I want to try to get as much remaining evidence as I can. And I'm going to talk to Jo again, see if she'll give us anything more." So engrossed in the conversation, no one noticed Zane slip out of the room. He made his way down to the infirmary, slipping behind the curtain and taking a seat next to Jo's bed. The young woman looked up from her book, a small smile briefly lighting her face.

"Hello Mr. Grey." She whispered; he chuckled softly.

"How are you feeling, Jo?" She sighed, laying her head back.

"I want to go home. I don't want to be here anymore. I miss my dad. And my brothers." He nodded. They fell into silence, and she turned her attention to her nails, picking at her cuticles. A nervous habit developed during her time in the cabin. Zane watched her, before reaching over and seperating her hands.

"Don't do that." He whispered softly. She looked up at him, before glancing down at their hands. He gave her a small smile, squeezing her hand. Her dark gaze quickly darted away from their hands, towards the blanket around her. They sat in silence, before she asked,

"So, when can I go home?"

"When Dr. Blake says you can. And... you probably won't be going back to Jersey just yet. She'll probably have you stay here with Sheriff Carter or..."

"Or?" He swore silently. Zane had hoped she wouldn't pick up on his silent implication that he wanted Allison to say that she would stay with him, but if the look she gave him was any indication, she obviously had picked it up. One dark eyebrow rose, and she waited. He sighed, a blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Or that... Dr. Blake would... let you stay with... me." He muttered, barely breathing the last word. She lowered her gaze to their hands, but made no move to remove her hand from his warm hold. She sighed, laying her head once again back against the pillows, dark eyes staring into him. He met her gaze, as a chill ran up his spine.

"Would that be okay with Sheriff Carter?" She asked; slowly, she began to play with his fingers.

"Would what be okay with Sheriff Carter?" Zane turned, to see Carter and Allison standing in front of the open curtain; Henry stood behind them, data pad in his hand. Zane quickly licked his lips, glancing at Jo, who gave the sheriff a small smile.

"Would it be okay if you let me stay with..." She glanced quickly at the young man by her side before, "Zane." She spoke, voice tired yet firm; no one questioned what she was asking.

"No! Hell no it wouldn't be okay!" Carter replied. Allison laid a placating hand on his arm, before going to the side of the bed and taking a seat.

"I'm not going to release you just yet, okay, Jo? I want you to stay one more night, just for general observation, and then I'll release you-"

"So I can home to my dad?" She asked instantly. Allison shook her head.

"No, sweetie, I'm sorry, but... Jersey is out of the question, at least for the time being."

"So... I'll be staying here?" Jo asked slowly, not fully understanding. Allison nodded.

"Yes. Until we figure out who this guy is, where he is and where your brother is. Once we have that figured out, then you can go home to your family. Until then, everything has to be quiet. Okay?"

She nodded. "So... if I'm not going back to Jersey... am I going to be staying with Zane?" The younger man didn't miss the looks Carter and Allison shot him.

"You're not going to be staying with Zane! You'll be staying with me, at SARAH." Jo's brow furrowed at Carter's firm declaration. She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again with a puzzled,

"What's a SARAH?"