Author Note: …okay, so now ya'll hate me – I can accept that…but the story continues…..

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Chapter 05 – Aftermath

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3:55 PM

Kitty sped through the kitchen. "Bob, if you don't hurry, we're going to miss the Liz Taylor interview! It starts at four!" Bob was sweating and carrying the Kahlua and milk in the carton. Kitty Forman swept through the living room turning on the television and grabbed some glasses from the bar.

Bob exclaimed, "Oh hey look! It's my favorite newscaster." Bob sat down on the sofa and looked at the beautiful woman.

"Hello. This is Anna Cantana from Channel Nine News. I'm here at the WFPP Radio station where moments ago, a tragic shooting occurred."

Bob looked at Kitty, "Hey, that's where my pumpkin works!" Kitty smiled and started mixing the drinks. She handed a glass of White Russian to Bob while she sipped hers.

Anna Cantana held the microphone to her mouth as she gestured to the building behind her which was surrounded with police cars, SWAT vans and fire trucks. Anna Cantana gestured towards the station door. "Preliminary reports indicate that a shooting incident occurred this afternoon. A musical group, Angry Ants, was being interviewed by one of WFPP's afternoon DJ's when the station representative was threatened with a gun by the lead singer of the group. Sadly, the popular disc jockey had been accidentally shot. The name of the deceased is being withheld until the family has been notified." The police were pushing a handcuffed Malcolm Dillon into a squad car.

Bob's glass shattered on the Forman's floor. Tears flowed down Bob's cheek as he saw a white-sheeted gurney wheeled out of the station and into the back of an ambulance. Police and fire trucks were surrounding the building. Kitty blinked. No. That couldn't be. That wouldn't have happened. Not in Point Place!

All Bob could say was, "I've got to find Midge. Kitty, I've got to find Midge."

4:00 PM

Eric was still smiling at the memory of his little strawberry sized baby. His mom was going to be tickled! He walked between the copy desks and saw a group of people congregated near the television in the conference room. "Hey, what happened?"

Natalie, his coworker was wiping her eyes. "There was a fatal shooting at WFPP Studios and one of the staff was killed." Eric would have put it down to just Natalie being emotional as normal but then he caught sight of Randy Pearson on the television screen.

"Mr. Pearson!" Anna Cantana ran after Randy who was holding up his palm towards the camera. "You were a witness in the shooting. What can you tell us?"

Randy's face was tear-streaked and he was as white as a ghost. "That group of punks killed my girlfriend okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? I brought her lunch just like I do every single day and they shot her just for doing her job."

Randy? Eric couldn't process what he was hearing. Donna worked at WFPP. Was Randy the guy? Donna was killed? Oh god! Eric's legs started to give out and he struggled to grab the edge of a desk before he fell. Seconds later he woke up to someone waving smelling salts under his nose.

"Forman…man. Are you okay?"

Eric blinked twice trying to focus on the blurred face of his boss, Henry. "What happened? Why am I on the floor?" Eric accepted the big burley hand that pulled him to his feet.

Natalie cried, "You must have known the poor shooting victim. Doesn't your girlfriend work at the radio station?"

"That's right, you live with Hot Donna." Henry added. "Why don't you make a call to the station and see if we can get an exclusive interview." Eric nodded. Maybe it was some secretary that got killed ….it couldn't be Donna. That was ludicrous.

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Kitty walked a shaken Bob back to the Pinciotti house. "Now Bob, maybe we're just jumping to conclusions. It could have been any poor employee. I know! Maybe it was the janitor. You know how they're all over the place. They probably just the wrong person reported."

Bob patted Kitty's wrinkled hand. "It's okay; I know you're trying to keep my mind off of it. I appreciate it Kitty. Really - if you could just help me find Midge. She needs to be here."

Bob unlocked his door as a police cruiser pulled up. To Bob's surprise it was Officer Aspen and Michael Kelso. The expressions on their faces were grim as Bob reached for Kitty's hand.

"Mr. Pinciotti?" Officer Aspen asked. "Could you please come with us? There's been a shooting accident and we need you to identify the victim."

Kelso burst out into tears and hugged the short man nearly removing his curly wig in the process. "Bob!" he cried. "It's terrible. Man, I threw up three times."

Kitty grabbed Kelso's arm, "Michael, Bob doesn't need to hear that. Now, let's all go with Bob and make sure he's got friends with him."

Kelso quickly shrugged off his lack of self-control and stepped back into the cadet uniform. His ride-a-long experience was not a pleasant one on this day!

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Eric couldn't get through to anyone at the radio station. All the lines were busy or the switchboard had been turned off. He tried to call the apartment and got the answering machine. "It's Donna and Eric, leave a message at the sound of the light saber…."

Eric smiled and replied, "Hey Donna. When you get this call me at work okay? I really hope you call me back soon….I love you." He did. But he was falling in love with Jackie too. Now he had a baby in the works and life was becoming just more complicated everyday.

Eric tried to call a friend at an affiliate newspaper to see if they had anyone covering the story but that fell through. He told his boss and Henry just wrote it off as a missed story. "Have Natalie or one of the clerks contact the police department and we'll cover the funeral and interview the family and the shooters. This can wait until tomorrow. It's been a long day.

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Steven Hyde was sitting at his desk reading the latest Rolling Stone magazine when WB walked into his office. "Son."

Hyde looked up, "Hey WB. I got a contract with Jansen Gallagher. He's ready to work with some of our new labels in Milwaukee."

WB looked grim. "About one of our new labels…there's been a….do you remember Malcolm?"

"Only that he's a dick. What about him? Is he backing out of the contract?"

WB put a heavy hand on Steven's shoulders. "No son. He had an interview today."

"Oh yeah. It was on Hot Donna's afternoon show."

"Did you listen to the interview?" WB asked with an equally heavy heart.

Hyde didn't want to tell WB that Donna's interview was at the same time that he and Sam were spending an hour clutched in a naked embrace. "Actually no…I missed the interrogation." He joked.

WB looked out the window at the skyline of Kenosha. "Malcolm shot the DJ while the station was broadcasting live."

Hyde looked at WB waiting for the punch line. "And?"

His birth father glared at him. "Were you not listening? Hot Donna was shot by the lead singer of the Angry Ants. On Air! On our label. I've called the attorneys and they'll be here for damage control. You need to contact your friend and see if she's okay."

"God. Donna was shot?" The enormity hit Steven like a ton of bricks. Eric was going to freak! "I – I gotta go." WB waved his hand. "Call me when you know something and do not involve the business. Refer all questions to our attorneys."

"Yeah, okay. I'm going to Eric's apartment. Maybe he knows something."

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A/N: Kudos to those of you who recognize Anna Cantana! You are the most awesome of readers!