Chapter 8

Within seconds of hearing the scream Casey had kicked the door down. She had surprised both herself and Melinda. They cautiously moved along the narrow hallway of Don and Liz's house. As the crept closer to the living room they were surprised by what they heard.

"So it's just you and your dad?" asked Ciara.

"Yeah my mom died when I was eleven from cancer"

"I didn't realise that your mom was dead" confessed Ciara.

"It's ok it's not as if I go around telling everyone" Zack laughed, he was trying to make light of the situation. He knew about Ciara's past and about how Don and Liz had adopted her. He thought it was only fair that he be as honest with her.

Just as Ciara opened her mouth to say something Zack made his move. He gently kissed Ciara on the lips. In that moment Ciara felt as though the earth had stood still. This wasn't her first kiss but it was special. It was a spine-tingling kiss that she would always remember. Zack withdrew from the kiss and looked at Ciara. He was blushing but he was smiling. He looked like the happiest man in the world.

Melinda and Casey had watched the whole thing. Over the past few months everyone had grown attached to Ciara. She was part of the family. Casey and Melinda looked at each other. They didn't want to ruin the moment but they had to tell her about Don.

"Ciara" said Casey softly, barely above a whisper. She felt guilty for ruining Ciara and Zack's moment but it had to be done. Ciara shifted quickly where she sat and noticed Casey and Melinda.

"Hey guys what are you doing here?" Ciara was both embarrassed and confused. She was sure she had locked it.

"Something happened at the precinct today Ciara. Elliot is in hospital and Don was abducted. We came to make sure everything was ok here. Liv, Liz and Munch are on their way here too" explained Melinda "and we heard you scream that's why Casey broke down the door" she added.

Ciara's head was spinning. She had gone from one of the best moments of her life to one of the worst. Her father had been abducted.

"Why aren't you out looking for Don?" pleaded Ciara as tears began to stain her face.

"Fin and Elliot are tracking him down as we speak" reassured Casey.

Meanwhile across town Fin and Elliot were closing in on Don. They were able to track his cell. From what they could tell Don was being held in an abandoned warehouse.

"Turn left here" instructed Elliot. As Fin turned left and down the driveway the warehouse came in to view. There was also a van parked outside.

Elliot and Fin knew that whoever had Don were dangerous. They had planned the fire and had abducted the captain. They also knew that these guys were not the brightest; they didn't even remember to take Don's cell. Elliot and Fin moved swiftly from the car to the windows. They could see Don tied up in the corner and the two perps at either side of him. Don didn't seem badly hurt. He had a few cuts on his face and hands but otherwise seemed unharmed. Just as Fin and Elliot were about to leave the window Fin drew Elliot's attention to what the men were doing to Don, they were forcing him to drink.

"What do you think is in the bottle?" asked Fin. Elliot didn't need to answer. The taller of the two men standing beside Don Step to the side and it became obvious as to what they were doing. They were forcing him to drink bottles of vodka.

Fin and Elliot ran from the window and had broken down the door within seconds. To both of them Don had been someone that they looked up to. Yes he had his flaws but he was a strong man full of compassion and a sense of justice. He was a mentor to both men and they couldn't bear to see him in such a vulnerable state.

Just as they reached the room that Don was being held they heard him scream in pain. They hurried in to the room to see one man holding a knife covered in blood while the other held a baseball bat.

"Drop your weapons!" shouted Fin as he and Elliot drew their weapons and approached the men with caution. To Elliot and Fin's surprise the men did so without hesitation. Both detectives were perplexed by the men's actions. They had planned out this whole charade yet forgot to take simple precautions like disposing of the cell phone and they gave up without a fight. Although they were surprised they weren't complaining.

As Elliot cuffed the perps Fin attended to the captain. His pain from the stab wound to his torso had been numbed by the alcohol. Obviously these men knew a lot about Cragen, enough to know his weakness- his alcoholism.

"Hang on Don an ambulance is on the way" Fin's words fell on deaf ears as Don drifted into a drunken stupor.

Over the next few hours Don had been taken to hospital and was being taken care of by a team of doctors. Liz was informed of his condition. He had suffered from three broken ribs and had a deep wound on his torso. He was lucky; the knife had missed his organs and hadn't caused too much damage. The main worry on Liz's mind was whether or not his sobriety would suffer. He had been sober for over twenty years now but it only took one drop to set someone back. He had been forced to drink it which killed her inside. This was her fault she thought. This would crush him and it was her fault.

As she stood outside his hospital room waiting for the doctors to finish up she let the tears flow freely from her eyes. The man she loved was lying in a hospital bed because of her, because of her past. She hoped and prayed that he would be able to forgive her.

"This isn't your fault mom" Ciara had come to stand next to Liz. She knew that Liz was blaming herself and she was trying to reassure her. Liz knew what Ciara was trying to do but it wasn't working. She would always blame herself from this. She put her arm around Ciara's shoulders and pulled her close. In that moment she knew that she would fight to save her relationship with Don, if not for herself then for Ciara. She shouldn't have to suffer.

Don felt like his head was going to explode. The details of what had happened were beginning to come back to him. As he shifted in his bed he looked out of the small window in his room. The pain seemed to ease as he saw his family looking in on him. E everything was going to be ok.

Ok guys what do you think? I really have been struggling with this story lately and this chapter didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. Anyways reviews are always great and really appreciated! Thanks for reading x