Denise had the worse night of her career. It had begun wonderfully, it was slow and the calls she went on were minor until the last call of the night. She heard the woman crying before they even got to the steps, by the time she got to the bedroom, it was too late. The young woman was near dead and her breech baby already was. There was blood everywhere, and in spite of her partner arguing with her to leave the baby be, Denise fought with everything in her to revive the tiny newborn. Her heart broke when she failed.
Denise's spirit broke along with her heart. She sat on the floor at the scene and cradled the dead baby to her breast singing to it and rocking it, someone had to love it. Her partner finally got her to turn the baby over to the CSIs. She started to cry for Frank, so the only thing for her partner to do was bring her home.
Frank was beyond worried about Denise she was over three hours late and he hadn't heard a word from her. He had been pacing, but soon grew tired and had to sit down. He felt horrible, his chest was sore, his head hurt and he was exhausted, on top of that he was worried about his wife. Where was she?
Denise's ID had gotten them back on the Post and an MP helped her partner, Troy, find her house. He saw the light on and rang the door bell.
Frank made his way to the door and saw Denise's partner in the peephole, he opened the door immediately. When he did he saw Denise, clinging to Troy and sobbing, he became scared to death. "What happened?" he asked.
"We had a bad call," Troy replied. "Preterm labor of breech baby, DOA. She held it for hours before I got through to her," Troy replied carrying Denise inside. "She's been crying for you, won't let me help her change or anything. Just wants you."
"Okay thank you for bring her home," he told Troy and took Denise from his arms and held her tight.
"Ssh, baby. This wasn't your fault, it just wasn't meant to be, you did all you could," he told her soothingly.
"Frank," she sobbed clinging to him. She didn't realize she was home until he'd spoken.
"Yeah honey, you're home, you're all right. Ssh, I've got you," he told her he was still holding her, he brought her to sit on the couch.
"I took a blood pressure and that's okay but she's shocky so keep her wrapped in a blanket. Her ankles and legs are swollen up pretty bad, too," Troy told Frank. "She's off the rest of the week. I'll call and check on her tomorrow."
"Okay, thank you so much for all you have done," Frank said gratefully.
Frank was carrying Denise to their room as she sobbed and cried his name over and over again. Jeremy heard his mother's sobs and went to check on her. "Dad?"
"It's all right Jeremy. She just had a bad night at work, go back to bed," he told him; he knew Denise wouldn't want Jeremy to see her like this.
"No, Dad, you'll need help," Jeremy said and went to his parents just as his grandparents poked their heads out of their room.
"What's wrong with her?" Elizabeth asked Frank.
"She had a bad night at work, preterm breech baby died and she blames herself," Frank said looking down at his sobbing wife.
"You see what happens when you let her go off like this?" the Colonel said but Jeremy got into his face. "Grandpa, respect, but shut up and let dad help mom!"
The Colonel looked at him shocked. "Son you better know who you are talking to, I am your grandfather and you will show me some respect!" he told him raising his voice which wasn't helping Denise any, it was making her worse.
Denise began to murmur something to Frank, all he heard was bed and hurt. She was trembling so bad Frank knew he'd need help undressing her.
"Okay, sweetheart. Let's get you to bed, Elizabeth can you help me get her clothes changed?" he asked her.
She whimpered, "No. No," and if possible cried harder than she was all ready.
"Okay Dee, calm down. We can go by ourselves, shh, it's alright honey," he said trying to calm her down.
Jeremy stood between his parents and his grandparents protecting his mother and his father from their disapproval. Frank got Denise to their room and with shaking fingers got her blood stained uniform off of her. He gasped at how badly her legs had swollen. With Frank's tender touch Denise began to calm down until finally she stopped crying and looked at her husband's tired worried eyes.
"Frank, you look exhausted. Did you sleep at all?" she asked him sniffling.
"Not without you, Dee," Frank told her. "I was worried sick, Baby. I'm still worried. Your legs are so swollen. Dee, you have to stop working on the streets."
"Frank, I cant, not after what I've seen tonight. That baby depended on me and so did her mother. Frank I have to be there for those people, they need me," she said.
"What about our baby? What about me?" Frank asked gently. "You can be there for those folks after our child is born healthy. Work the dispatch desk, talk folks through the first aid." He had to sit down; his legs were giving out on him. Denise couldn't know.
"Okay, i will work the dispatch desk. i will talk to my boss tomorrow," she said, she knew he was worried and she didn't want him to be.
"You want some tea?" Frank asked. "Anything?"
"No, I just want to sleep, I'm so tired and you need to rest too. Hold me?" she asked looking at him with sad eyes, today had been hard on her, on both of them.
Frank was glad to oblige her. He slid into bed and pulled her close, but not before he elevated her legs on pillows. They were both asleep in minutes.
Frank slept like a rock that night. He didn't move when the bugle called or when Denise got out of bed. He didn't even realize she was missing until Jeremy came in to get him. "Dad?" Jeremy said shaking him. "Dad, get up!"
"What is it? Is it your mother?" he automatically looked around the room for his wife.
"You've got to do something about grandpa," Jeremy said. "If you don't I will, he's attacking mom, making her cry. He told her a male medic would have saved that baby. I don't know why he's doing this but if you don't stop him I will Dad! Mom's really upset; she's sitting in the corner of the kitchen. Grandma is begging him to stop, but he won't."
Frank was shaking from anger, his head was pounding, and he felt perspiration drip into his eyes. His was losing his breath but Denise needed him. He could hear Elizabeth trying to talk her her husband down. Frank couldn't make out her soft words but he heard his father-in-law as the Colonel shot back, "I taught her better. I taught her to be obedient, submissive and you…"
"I did it," Jeremy said. "I hurt her and I made her like this. Not Dad. Just stop hurting mom, please."
"Jeremy your mother let an innocent child die! She should have let a man do the job, a man would have saved him!" the colonel shouted.
Y "But you just couldn't, could you Denise? you had to try and do a man's job and now an innocent child is dead!" he said looking back at Denise cornering her again.
Frank tried as hard as he could to get between Denise and her father, this was so unlike the colonel, but it was all Frank could do was try to keep breathing and stay on his feet. Jeremy went after his grandfather. "Leave her alone. I'll call General Holden and have you removed. Leave her alone or I will forget you are my grandfather." He looked at his father wondering why a man so fiercely protective of his wife and children was doing next to nothing. "Dad, do something."
Frank did the only thing he could and pushed his way between the colonel and his wife, he was breathing hard and his chest was hurting but had to save her from this.
Jeremy had gotten his grandfather to back off and Elizabeth took her husband to his room. Jeremy got on the floor by his folks. "Mom, you okay?"
"No, he is right," she sobbed. "I let that baby die. i should have been able to save it," she said still crying.
"No, mommy," Jeremy said holding her. "No, right dad? Dad, you okay?"
Frank was breathing extremely hard and was white as a ghost, he tried to speak but couldn't.
"Mom, I'm calling 911," Jeremy told his mom. "Dad needs help."
Denise snapped out of it and pulled herself together, she got up and went to Franks side. "Frank honey try to breath, help is on the way," she told him.
Jeremy did call 911 and remembered the aspirin. He called the Holdens then sat with his parents. Frank was trying to talk to Denise. He was trying to tell her how he felt, he managed a weak, "I love you Dee," before losing consciousness.
Denise sat with his head in her lap until the paramedics arrived, the loaded him in the ambulance, "I'm going with him," she told the medic.
An hour later Denise was taken to Frank's side. He was conscious and being sent home with orders to rest again. She took his hand, "Frank, you hear me, Sweetheart?"
"Hey honey, I'm sorry we had to come here again," he told her.
"My parents are leaving today. My mother is mortified, I told her they can stay in Charleston but not in our home," Denise told him. "When did you start to feel sick again?"
"When I heard about what your father was doing to you it made me mad, he had no right to talk to you the way he did," he told her.
"I love you Frank," Denise said. "You ready to go home?"
"I love you, too, Dee. Let's go home," Frank said smiling.
She fussed over him as she brought him home, "You want something to eat? Drink?"
"Not hungry, got a stomachache" Frank sighed. "Drugs."
"Okay, do you want to lie down, see if the nausea will go away," she asked him sympathetically.
"Gonna be sick, Dee," Frank told her and barely made it to the sink before he was.
She was on his heels and knelt down beside him rubbing his back to sooth him.
"Tastes like metal," Frank said when the spasm passed.
Denise looked in the commode to see blood, she got scared "Frank you need to lay down honey this is not good," she told him.
"Where's Jeremy?" Frank asked. "Get him, now!"
Denise did as he asked and ran to get him, "Jeremy, your father needs you."
Jeremy ran to help Frank. His father took his hand and started to tap a coded message on his son's arm. The younger soldier understood. "Mom, get some milk from the Commissary for Dad. And maybe some Gingerale. I'll get him to bed."
Frank knew he couldn't walk to the bed and he didn't want Denise to see him struggle, not in her delicate condition. He'd used Morse Code to tell his son he felt weaker than he had a few weeks ago and that he'd need his help. Jeremy knew what he meant and covered his dad's back.
"Okay, I will be right back," she said making a hasty exit to get what her husband needed, she was shaking all over and was scared out of her mind.
When Denise was gone Frank leaned against his son. "I need you, boy. I hate it but I need you. I don't think I have the energy to walk. Tired."
"Okay, Dad. It's okay," Jeremy told him practically carrying him to bed.
"Take care of your mother, Jeremy," Frank told him. "You understand me?"
"Dad, you are going to be fine. You hear me, you are not going to give up on me, you can't give up on me and mom," he said almost in tears.
"Don't plan on it," Frank said so softly Jeremy could barely hear him. "Still, there's no denying I'm sick, she'll make herself sick tending me. You know it."
"Yeah, I'll do everything I can to help you both," Jeremy assured him.
Jeremy sat with Frank until Denise returned. He was sick several more times and began to run a fever. By night fall his breathing was so shallow Denise was afraid for his life, but Jeremy remembering his father's words kept her distracted. Still as his breathing increased and blood pressure rose even Jeremy worried.
"Jeremy we need to call an ambulance, I've never seen him this ill," she said worriedly looking at Frank .
"He made me promise him, mom," Jeremy told her. "Just sit with him. Let him know there. Don't make me break a promise, please. He trusted me."
Denise knew her husband was in trouble, but her son had fought so hard for his father's respect, she sighed but gave in, for now. Denise looked at Frank and sat down beside him taking his hand. "Frank, honey, can you hear me? Honey please don't do this, you have to make it through this, i can't live without you, i can't raise this baby alone Frank i need you," she whispered to him.
"I can hear you, Dee," he said weakly. "So tired. So much pain. Just hold my hand. Hold my hand."
"I am, Honey. I'm right here," Denise said rubbing his hand in hers.
"Hold my hand, Dee," he asked again. "Please."
Jeremy watched this and moved to his mother's side, "Keep him comfortable. I'm getting General Holden. I promised Dad, he didn't."
"Okay," she said not taking her eyes off her husband
Frank opened his eyes and looked at Denise, "You are so beautiful. You'll be a wonderful Mom. It'll be a boy, our first born. I know. We'll call him Jeremy for my brother." His speech was beginning to slur as he talked.
"Frank, honey, what are you talking about? Jeremy is already here, honey, he is 19 years old," she told him confused.
"He is? This is our new baby," he said still slurring his words but catching up with time. "You okay Dee. You look sad?"
"I am a little sad Frank, and I'm worried about you," she said tearfully.
"I'm fine, Dee," Frank told her. "Just tired, always am when I get back from being deployed, you know that. Pain's getting worse from those bruises though. Can you put some of the stuff on them?"
"Frank, you haven't been deployed. Honey it's your heart," she told him trying to get him to remember.
"No, broken heart hurts worse than this," Frank sighed. "Why did you do that Dee? Why did you have to break my heart? What did I ever do?" Tears started to run down Frank's cheeks as he relived the pain of Denise's betrayal.
"Not feeling good, Dee," he said just as he had that morning five weeks ago. "Head hurts, so tired, hot and tired."
Denise didn't say anything, she went to the bathroom and wet a washcloth in cold water and brought it back to the bedroom where he was lying. She sat close to him and began to rub his forehead with the cold cloth hoping it would keep him from being so hot.
Jeremy arrived with Claudia Joy, Michael, and Pamela just then. Michael went to his long time friend's bed side, "Frank, what do you say we leave the field, hmm?"
Frank reached up a little seeing his old friend, he was safe, he'd protect his family, it was okay to rest now. He stopped fighting and let Michael and Jeremy lift him from the bed and carry him to the car. Claudia Joy followed with Denise, everyone was praying they'd be in time.