Murphy woke to an empty bedroom, and as he wandered out into the living room, he realized the apartment was empty as well. Rubbing his eyes slowly, he looked around again. Still empty. What the fuck?
He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee before leaning against counter. His brain wasn't working yet. And he had no idea where everyone could have gone.
Maybe Katie was still sleeping. She'd seemed exhausted the night before, but still hadn't gone to bed when he finally gave in around three. Setting his mug down on the counter, Murphy moved back to the hallway and knocked softly on her door.
"Katie?" There was no answer. "Katie? Ye awake?" He opened the door slowly, giving her time to react if she was actually in there. The room was silent, and like seemingly every other room in the house, empty. Her bed didn't even look like it'd been slept in. Frowning, he closed the door again as he left. Why would they have left without telling him? Where the fuck could they have gone?
The front door opened as he got into the living room and Connor walked in.
"Where the fuck have ye been?" Murphy glared at him, noticing that his brother seemed only half awake but was fully dressed for the day.
"I walked Katie to the bar. She wanted to get stuff set up for tonight. Morning ta you too." Connor tossed his keys on the table and peeled his jacket off. He grabbed Murphy's mug off the counter and downed the rest of it. Setting it down, he made a face. "Kind of cold."
"That's my fuckin' coffee anyhow. Why did she go down this early?"
"Well, Doc may have been released last night, but she doesn't want him doin' a fuckin' thing."
"It's only ten o'clock in the mornin'." Murphy poured himself some more coffee before walking over and joining Connor on the couch.
"Aye, but she was waitin' and ready to go when I got up." Connor leaned back and closed his eyes. "And I wasn't even ready ta get up. I was just takin' a fuckin' piss and she grabbed me ta walk her there."
"At least she didn't just fuckin' leave."
"She was pretty damn quiet last night." Connor glanced at Murphy who just shrugged.
"She also saw Doc basically have a heart attack last night."
"Maybe. Think she's getting' fuckin' sick of us?"
"Of you maybe. I'm even fuckin' getting' sick of ye." Murphy laughed and tried to keep his coffee from spilling as Connor pushed him over. "Where's Da?"
"Christ, who knows anymore. He's always fuckin' going somewhere. It sounds like he's been at McGinty's a lot lately. Tommy sees him all the fuckin' time." Connor laced his fingers behind his head and relaxed fully into the couch.
"How is Tommy?"
"As fuckin' annoyin' as usual. Nearly told Sara we were the fuckin' Saints last night." Connor frowned as Murphy just looked at him but didn't answer. "What?"
"Sara seems nice. But don't ye think ye better end it before it gets too serious?"
"What the fuck is that supposed ta mean?"
Murphy sat up fully and put his mug on the table before turning fully to look at Connor. "We are the fuckin' Saints. And we'll be workin' again before too long. Maybe even every movin' every few months. Did ye fuckin' think ye'd be able to hold on ta a relationship too?"
"Maybe it's worth a fuckin' try."
"Christ, ye're a fuckin' idiot, Connor. Even if she's okay with ye being a fuckin' vigilante Saint, what makes ye think she's gonna fuckin' wait around for ye?" Murphy pushed off the couch and grabbed his mug off the coffee table. He felt Connor watching him as he crossed the room. They were both silent for a moment.
"Then maybe I won't make her fuckin' wait for me." Connor's voice was low and Murphy turned to find his brother watching him closely. "Maybe I'm done with bein' a Saint, Murph."
Murphy felt his stomach drop and he stared at Connor. He's gonna fuckin' leave me behind. "Ye've got ta be fuckin' joking."
Connor rubbed his hand along his chin before he raised his eyes to meet Murphy's again. "I might just have a fuckin' chance ta be happy, Murph. Maybe if ye'd open yer fuckin' eyes, ye would have one too."
"What the fuck is that supposed ta mean?"
Pressing his lips together, Connor sat up fully and crossed his arms over his chest. "Ye can't tell me this is how ye want ta live the rest of yer fuckin' life. Hiding from the cops. Moving every few months. Unable to make a real fuckin' connection with someone who is not one of us."
"It's our fuckin' duty, Connor. Or did ye forget that?" Murphy mirrored his brother's actions by crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the counter.
"Aye, it's our duty. But I can't believe this is all that God has in store for us. An empty life of killin'."
Murphy narrowed his eyes at him. "But we fuckin' keep goin' until we are told otherwise."
"Maybe we are bein' told otherwise."
"What the fuck are ye talkin' about?"
"We've been so fuckin' alone the past year. After Rocco, we didn't fuckin' let anyone in. And nobody cared enough to even fuckin' try. Until now. Now we've both met someone who wants in to our lives. If that's not a fuckin' sign, I don't know what is." Connor pressed his fingertips together almost as if in prayer and tapped his fingers against his lips.
Murphy sighed and stood up away from the counter. He rinsed his mug out before turning back to Connor. "You've got someone, Connor. Not us."
"You've got Katie, Murph. Just open yer fuckin' eyes."
"It's not like that."
"What are ye fuckin' afraid of? She knows about us and understands it. I can only hope that Sara will be the same. And what's more, she fuckin' cares about ye, Murphy. What the fuck more are ye waitin' for?"
Staring at Connor for a minute, Murphy knew he couldn't deny it. His brother knew him too well. And somehow he'd figured out Murphy's dilemma with Katie. Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his face before walking through the living room to the hallway without a word. Connor leaned forward as he walked by.
"What wrong, Murph?"
Murphy stopped at the hall doorway and glanced back at his brother. "Just like fuckin' Rocco, Connor. I can't lose her too." Especially now that I might be losing you. He walked through the doorway then, hoping a shower might take a way the sick feeling in his stomach.
Katie curled up on her bed and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come. Connor was right. She needed to get some rest if she was going to make it through the night. Especially if she was going to need to force herself to smile to get through it.
She thought going to the bar in the morning would help her. Help her understand what was going on. And to help her decide what she needed to do. Instead, all it had done was exhaust her further. Doc was there but not up to his normal energy, of course. For once he'd been content to let her do the work while he sat at the bar. And he hadn't mentioned the men who'd been looking for her. He'd chosen to make sure the McManuses were safe instead of giving her warning, and she knew she shouldn't feel betrayed at that. They are like his family. And he had been warned not to tell anybody. She'd even been too bothered by it to tell anyone either.
Tommy showed up at noon and Doc had ordered for Katie to go home. And as she'd grabbed her coat to leave, she watched the two interact and knew that Tommy belonged back in his old job again. She had simply been a short-term replacement for him.
Even both Murphy and Connor seemed more than willing to leave her alone when she got back to the apartment. Besides asking her how Doc was, Murphy had stared intently at the morning paper. And even after she'd taken a seat on the couch next to Connor, he'd only really spoken to her to tell her to get some sleep.
Rolling over in her bed, Katie pressed her palms against her eyes. She forced back a sob and concentrated on breathing deeply. I've got no right to fucking feel sorry for myself. I was lucky they let me in for this long. A few tears managed to get out and rolled down her cheeks, wetting the pillow beneath her. She pressed her lips together tightly and breathed deeply through her nose. She couldn't keep doing it. She was tired. She was emotional and she would be stupid to make decisions based on how she felt right now. It's just been so great so far. But how much longer can it go on this way?
She focused on her breathing again, allowing the tears to fall freely. Within a few minutes, she was asleep.
A knock on her bedroom door woke her up later and she sat up groggily. "Come in?" Rubbing her hands over her eyes, she blinked quickly. Murphy peeked his head around the corner at her. She raised an eyebrow at him when she saw that he had his cell phone up to his ear.
"Yeah, Ma. She's awake. Of course I had ta fuckin' wake her up. Ye said ye wanted ta talk to her." He moved over to the bed and Katie moved her feet so that he could sit next to her. She ran a hand through her hair as she watched him, somewhat confused.
"Yes, Mother." Murphy rolled his eyes at her and nodded. "Alright, Ma. She's right here." He held out the phone to her. "It's Ma. She wanted ta say Happy St. Patty's day."
Katie smiled slightly and took the phone, holding to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hi there, Katie dear. How are ye doin'?"
"I'm fine, Mrs. McManus. You?"
"Please, call me Ma. Everybody else me boys know seem ta."
Katie laughed and turned sideways on her bed, facing the same direction as Murphy. "Okay, Ma. Is this your annual St. Patrick's day prank call?"
Ma let out a few loud laughs through the phone. "Ah, so me boys told ye about that one. But no, not this year. Couldn't think of a good enough prank for 'em."
"Ah, I see. There's always next year. So you were just checking on your boys."
"Are ye taking care of them fer me?"
"I'm trying to." Katie glanced at Murphy who just smiled back. "It's not the easiest job in the world."
"No, it never is with the men ye love, m'dear."
"Umm…I guess not."
"Katie, I've heard from both me boys that ye've been having a rough time there."
Katie sighed lightly. "Yeah, it's seems like everyone has heard something about that lately." She could feel Murphy fidgeting beside her. He was chewing on his thumb again.
Ma laughed softly this time. "Me boys have their own way of helping their friends. Let 'em take care of ye, Katie. They've been worried 'bout ye."
"And I, them. Things are complicated, Ma."
"Things worthwhile always are." Ma responded and after a moment Katie realized they weren't talking about the same thing. She frowned slightly.
"I suppose you're right." She said finally, unsure of how else to respond.
"Well, I'd better go now, Katie. They're expecting me down at the Anvil soon. Their Uncle Sibeal needs help at the bar this year."
"Okay, Ma. Want to talk to Murph again quick?"
"Aye, hand him over. Take care, Katie dear."
"You too, Ma. Bye." Katie shook her head with a smile and handed the phone over to Murphy again.
"Okay, Ma. You go easy on the drinkin' tonight, too. Aye, I'll tell him. No fightin' this year, I promise." Murphy laughed softly and rubbed the back of his head. "Okay. Love ye, Ma. Bye."
He hung up the phone and looked at it for a moment before he raised his eyes to Katie again. She gave him a small smile. "You've got a good Ma, Murph."
"Did it work?"
"Did what work?"
"Well," He looked down at the phone again and brushed his thumb across the screen. "Connor and I thought ye seemed a bit…down. And Ma seemed ta like ye so well when she talked to ye before. So, we thought that maybe if ye talked with her…"
"I'd feel better?" Katie finished for him. He glanced up at her again and nodded slightly.
"Yeah."
She smiled. "I do. Thanks." She sighed and slid off the bed. "What time is it, anyhow?"
"Nearly four."
"Shit. I gotta get to the bar. Why'd you let me sleep this long?"
Murphy put his hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. Connor went down there not too long after you went to sleep."
She sighed and looked at him. "But it's my job. I'm supposed to be there."
"Don't worry. Tommy's there. He used to work there. He knows what he's fuckin' doing." Murphy looked at her again and frowned at her, taking a step closer. Katie only realized she was crying again when he reached up and wiped a tear away.
"Oh for Christ's sake." She muttered and wiped at her eyes quickly.
"What's wrong, Katie?"
She closed her eyes. "Nothing. I'm just tired."
"Since when does being fuckin' tired make ye cry? What's goin' on?"
Turning away from him, she began looking in her dresser. She knew she had a green sweater in there somewhere. His hand touched her shoulder.
"Ye got upset when I mentioned Tommy. Why?"
"God, Murph. It's nothing. It just seems like he fucking replaced me, that's all." She moved away from his hand and pulled the sweater from the bottom drawer. Turning to him, she waved for him to leave. "I need to change."
"Hold on. What do you mean he replaced ye?" Murphy stood in front of her, leaning down to force her to look at him. She only glanced at him before walking away and setting the sweater on her rumpled bed. Grabbing her shoes, she sat down at started pulling them on.
"Katie?" His voice was quiet and very close. She paused in tying her shoe.
"Look, I came late okay. I get it. You all already had this thing formed."
"What thing?"
"This thing." She motioned with her free hand. "This family. Whatever the fuck you want to call it."
"You mean us and Doc. And Tommy?" Murphy sat down next to her on the bed.
"Yeah, and everyone else you two are so tight with down there. Maybe it's another fucking Irish thing, I don't know."
"Katie, yer not making sense here."
"Well, I don't know how to fucking explain it. And what your Ma said about things worthwhile not being easy."
"Whoa, now what the fuck did Ma say?"
"Nothing, Murphy. Drop it." She sliced at the air with her hand before she went back to tying her shoe. Hearing him sigh lightly, she forced herself to continue to stare at her shoes. They were tied, but she didn't look up. A lump had started to form in her throat. How can I fucking explain it when I don't even understand it?
She felt him reach down and his hand gently gripped her chin. He moved her face so she was looking up at him. Meeting her eyes for a second, he moved his hand from her chin and took her hand instead.
"I suppose we are a sort of a family here. Connor and I only had each other when we got here. Doc took fuckin' care o' us. Got us used ta the life here. And Doc and Tommy are close. They've always been, even before we came along. And we care about them both. A lot. But we care about you too. Ye know that, don't ye?"
Katie looked away then but nodded slowly. She rubbed a hand over her face. "I'm being so fucking melodramatic about this. I'm sorry. I really think I'm just overly tired."
She looked up then and found that Murphy was still watching her closely. "But ye were worried about it, weren't ye?"
Shrugging, she started to turn away but he kept a hold on her hand. "I don't know. I just don't want to be in the way. You two had a life before me."
"And we still have a life now." He studied their hands for a moment before looking back up at her again. "I shouldn't have just fuckin' walked away after doin' that the other night."
"The other night? Doing what?"
"This." He raised his hand to her face and slowly leaned in to kiss her. His lips met hers softly. Rubbing his thumb against her cheekbone, he pulled away to look at her. "I'm sorry."
She had laid her hand over his without realizing it. "I thought you'd just done it on impulse. That it'd been a mistake." Her voice was soft. He smiled slightly at that.
"No, the mistake was walkin' away." He kissed her again, this time not pulling away so soon. She put her arm up around him to pull him closer and his arms slipped around her, one tangling in her hair. Katie's heart raced and she felt him lean back again.
He kissed her on the cheek. "Ye better get changed for work."
Laughing softly, she nodded. "Yeah, I guess."
Murphy stood up off her bed and she got up quickly, grabbing his hand. Standing up on her tiptoes, Katie kissed him again. "So, how do we break it to Connor?"
He grinned down at her, brushing hair back from her face. "He mostly already knows."
"Of course. ESP, right? Twin connection and all?"
"Something like that." Murphy shook his head and let go of her hand. "Now change! We're late."
"And that's my fault?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "You let me sleep in."
"Aye, on Connor's orders. I guess we can't be in too much fuckin' trouble then."
She laughed again and watched him shut the door. Resisting the urge to jump up and down, Katie settled for simply smiling and pulling on her sweater. There'll be plenty of time to celebrate tonight!
Katie found her eyes wandering as Murphy was talking to another bar regular who had stopped by their booth. Doc hadn't let her help at the bar, instead having Tommy do the bartending. He claimed she should enjoy her first St. Patrick's day in a real Irish pub. Glancing down the bar, she found Connor across the bar, leaning against the counter and talking to a tall blonde.
"Good God, Connor, you've got a girl and you're still flirting?" She muttered and grinned when Murphy gave her a confused look. "Go back to your conversation. I'm just talking to myself."
Instead, he followed her line of vision and saw Connor leaning down toward the girl. "Oh, Sara's here. Good, ye can meet her."
"That's Sara? I'm meeting her tonight? And I'm just learning about this now?"
Murphy laughed. "Well, yeah."
Katie reached over and smacked his arm lightly.
"Hey, what the fuck was for?"
"For not prepping me. I need to have warning, Murph."
"Why?"
"Well, your ma's not here, so I've got to make sure she's good enough for him. You and your Da certainly aren't going to do it."
"What?"
"It's my womanly duty."
He smirked. "And who checked you out then?"
For that he received another slap on the arm. This time he grabbed her hand and held it. "Stop it." He laughed.
"You are just lucky you have a brother smart enough to do that job for you."
He shook his head. "I'm not sure that ye've passed the test yet, Katie. Connor might still need ta check ye out further."
Katie didn't answer. She was staring across the bar again, this time with her jaw slightly dropped. "It couldn't be." Her voice was barely a whisper.
Murphy leaned forward to look at her. "What?" He looked over at Connor again and saw they were coming toward the table. Sara was smiling up at Connor before she looked at their booth. A look of surprise crossed over her face as Murphy watched her.
"Katie?"
"Rosie?"
Katie took her hand from Murphy and slid out of the booth quickly. The girls threw their arms around each other, laughing and talking over one another.
"So you're the one keeping them in line."
"And you're Connor's girl? Oh my God, Rosie!"
Connor raised his eyebrows at Murphy who shrugged in return. He moved over to the table and took a seat opposite of Murphy.
"What the fuck do ye think that is about?"
"I have no fuckin' idea. She didn't say, just froze and jumped out of the booth."
Katie pulled away and faced them and Murphy was shocked to see tears running down her face.
"What's wrong?" He asked and slid out toward her. She shook her head and grabbed the Sara's hand.
"Connor, you have good taste. This is my roommate from college, Rosie."
He grinned at them. "Katie, yer all mixed up. This is Sara, not Rosie."
Sara laughed and looked over at Katie. "Katie is the only one who still calls me Rosie. It's my middle name."
"We had four Sara's on our floor freshman year. This is Sara Rose. So I started calling her Rosie to make things easier." Katie grinned back at her. "But I suppose I can call you Sara now."
"Rosie, huh? Maybe ye better stick with that. Connor has a thing for girls named Rosie, right Connor?" Murphy laughed as Connor made a face at him.
"Don't even fuckin' start that, Murphy."
Sara grinned. "I think its story time." She sat down next to Connor in the booth and waved her hand for Murphy to continue.
"We'll save that story for later. I'd better keep the fuckin' peace tonight."
Sara nodded. "Okay, that works. But how do you know Katie?"
The three exchanged glances. Katie finally laughed a little and shrugged.
"We just kind of ran into each other."
"I think this calls for another round." Murphy jumped up and came back quickly with four green beers. Katie slid into the booth first and Murphy sat on the edge.
"To reunions." Connor raised his glass with a smile.
"To reunions!" They all drank and both Katie and Sara made a face.
"I haven't had beer this bad since…well, hell probably since that huge party Peter had." Sara laughed and winked at Katie. She rolled her eyes and smiled.
"Oh, Christ…I forgot about that night." She took another sip. She looked at the boys and grinned. "My younger brother Peter decided that he would celebrate his academy graduation with a party at our house. That was quite an experience. How many guys from the academy were there?"
"Way too many. I'll never forget the look on Brett's face when he came home and found us all drunk on cheap beer."
Katie gave a small smile and slid her finger down her glass, making marks on the condensation. "Yeah, that was the last party we had. He attempted to ground us both for two weeks and forbid us to ever have a party at the house again. I was nearly twenty-two and he tried to fucking ground me. But it worked for that moment. I don't know if we ever would have tried to have another party…but we didn't get a chance to try before…"
"Oh, Katie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
Katie just laughed softly and shook her head, not meeting anyone's eyes. "That was a great party though."
"So your brother graduated from an academy?" Connor spoke up, breaking the tension. She looked up at him gratefully.
"She didn't tell you? Her brother's a great police officer. Just made detective last year. One of the youngest in his precinct."
Murphy choked on his drink and Katie reached over and smacked him on the back.
"No, I didn't tell them. Didn't think about it, I guess."
"Yeah, didn't he just transfer to a New York precinct?"
Katie looked up at her in surprise. "What?"
"Yeah, I saw him about a month and a half ago. He said he was transferring to a Manhattan precinct, I think. Don't you talk to him anymore?"
Katie stared down at her beer in silence. A month and a half. She'd been gone for nearly two. He'd transferred there after she'd disappeared. "No, Sara. I haven't talked to him in about two years. Ever since…"
"Ever since you made a career change?"
"How did you know about that?"
"Katie, he called me roughly a year ago wondering if I'd heard from you. But we'd already lost contact, too. I'm glad to see you are out of that line of work now. But why are you in Boston?"
Katie paused for a moment before giving a small smile. "Business trip that went sour. I didn't want to go back home yet. Besides, these two are keeping me entertained enough."
"And the entertainment hasn't begun yet. It's Saint Paddy's day, we gotta get caught up now!" Murphy smiled. "Connor said he'd buy us shots."
"Murph!"
"Cheapskate." Katie grinned at him. Connor sighed and nodded to Sara.
"Let me get out. I'll go get shots."
"I'll come with. After that beer, I don't trust your taste in shots."
"Murphy got the beer. Ye can't tell me you're mixing us up already. I should have kept ye away from me twin a little longer."
Sara just laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the booth. Murphy leaned closer to Katie, noticing she was still staring at her glass.
"How many other hot friends do you have?"
She laughed. "None that you get to meet."
"Good, now just keep smiling. It's supposed to be a night of fun."
"Yeah, well, it's turning into a night of surprises."
"Good ones."
"Good and bad ones. He's in New York, Murph. Probably been looking for me for two months now. And I never ended up contacting him to tell him I was okay. What kind of a sister does that make me?"
He put his arm around her and kissed her temple. "One who has had it rough for the last two months."
"I just didn't know he'd been keeping tabs on me."
"Yeah, we've noticed that you're kind of oblivious to that stuff."
She laughed and leaned closer to him. "You're too good for me." She gave him a soft kiss and smiled at his look of surprise. "I'll be right back."
He turned back to his beer with a smile as she left, not noticing that Sara had slid in across from him. "So what's going on with Katie, Murph?"
His head snapped up and he frowned at her. "What?"
"You've really fallen for her, haven't you?"
He stared at Sara for a minute and then slowly smiled. "I don't know. How did ye-?"
"Katie's…complicated. I know that better than anyone else. And I've never seen someone so…good for her." She leaned forward so Connor couldn't hear as he approached. "But if you hurt her, so help me God…"
Murphy nodded with a small smile and was a little relieved to see Connor with a small tray of drinks.
"Shots and drinks all around. Doc was getting sick of us making trips, so he suggested we get two this time." Connor looked up and tilted his head. "Where's Katie?"
"Right here." She walked up and slid in next to Murphy, who placed his arm around her right away. He glanced at her profile for a minute.
"What did you get us, Conn?"
"Southern Ireland shots for the girls and, well…Doc wouldn't tell me what these two were for us."
"Dare we trust him?"
"Scared?" Connor laughed, and Murphy gave him a grin.
"Never."
"What's in a Southern Ireland shot?"Sara raised an eyebrow at Connor who just shrugged and grinned.
"No idea. Sounded fitting."
"Okay, you are so not allowed to get shots anymore either." She pointed at him before exchanging a grin with Katie.
Katie leaned over and sniffed Murphy's shot. A slow smile spread across her face. "Okay, let's drink up."
"You know what it is, don't you?" He narrowed his eyes at her.
"Yup. On three, ready?" She counted down and they all took their shots. The guys both cringed and drained their left over beers as a chaser.
"I fell for that one too once. But only once." Katie started laughed when she saw the identical expressions on their faces.
"Three Wiseman, huh?"
Katie nodded and both she and Sara laughed harder.
"Well, I think it's time for them to try the Blue Wave then."
"Maybe later." Connor cut in with a small smile. "I'm not feeling too trusting of either of you at the moment."
"Wuss."
"Damn right."
Katie found herself cornered by Sara nearly an hour later. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at her old friend. "What?"
"How'd you really meet them, Katie?"
"I already told you. Right place, right time sort of thing."
Sara nodded slowly at her, continuing to look her straight in the eye. "How'd you end up in Boston? Are you still fucking working with the mob?"
Sighing, Katie glanced past Sara and saw both brothers were talking to Doc at the bar. "Know anything about Janie Fertitta?"
"Yeah, that's all over the freaking news."
"Well, she lied. She wasn't alone. They grabbed me from New York with her."
"Fuck, Katie. What happened?" Sara leaned closer to her, looking concerned. Katie gave her a small smile and waved her hand.
"I'm fine. Conn, Murph and their Da just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
Sara turned to watch the boys at the counter this time, strangely silent. She raised a hand to her mouth and shook her head slightly before turning back to Katie. She fucking knows. Katie bit her lip and waited for Sara to speak.
"The warehouse. They've connected it to Janie. The warehouse where the five mobsters were found dead. And where there was evidence of hostages. Connor and Murphy weren't just walking down the fucking right street, Katie. Christ."
Katie put her hands on Sara's shoulders and looked at her closely. "Sara, listen to me. They only did what they felt was right."
"They are the fucking Saints, aren't they?" Sara's green eyes shifted up to look at Katie. She nodded slightly. Sara closed her eyes. "Fuck."
"Connor's gonna kill me for telling you."
Sara held up her hand. "No, don't worry. I won't let him know I know. I…I just need to think about this before I talk to him about it."
Katie glanced back at the bar. "He's going to tell you soon. It's important. And I think you're important to him."
"I barely know the guy. We've only been dating for less than a week."
"Yeah, and I've only known them for a little longer than a week. But I feel like I've known them forever. And I can tell that you mean something to him." Katie smiled at her. Sara nodded slowly. "Just wait until you talk to their Ma. Then you'll see what I mean."
"What? Their Ma?" Sara's eyes widened, but Katie's attention had returned to where the boys stood near the bar. She'd seen them tense up from across the room. Two other guys had started fighting near them and both Connor and Murphy exchanged glances before moving forward.
"God dammit." Katie muttered and moved closer. She'd told them she wouldn't break up any fight in McGinty's. Fuck. As she stepped closer, though, she realized neither McManus twin was throwing any punches. At nearly the same time, they gripped the other two men and pulled them apart. Katie winced when she saw a fist connect with the side of Murphy's head.
"They always play bouncer here?" Sara's voice came from right behind her. Katie shrugged.
"I've never seen them do this."
"Take the fuckin' fight outside!" Murphy yelled as he pushed the man he was still holding toward the door.
"It's too fuckin' early for this shit." Connor let go of his man. He moved to stand next to Murphy and they watched the two stumble out the door. As soon as the heavy door slammed shut, they turned back to the bar as if nothing had happened.
Rolling her eyes, Katie pushed through the crowd to get to them. "You two can't just have a boring night, can you?"
Murphy and Connor looked at her with matching grins. Connor's eyes moved past her and she knew that Sara had followed her over. Katie watched them out of the corner of her eye and was pleased to see Sara only hesitate slightly before putting her arm around Connor's waist.
"What are ye grinnin' about?" Murphy's whisper near her ear made her look up at him again. He raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing. What are ye buying me?"
"Wait, I'm the one who just got fuckin' hit. I think you should buy me a drink." He laughed as she sat up on the stool to get a better look at him.
"You got hit in a fight you stepped into, Murph." She raised her fingers to his jaw line, where a slight bruise looked like it might form.
"Yeah, but I should be rewarded for not startin' a fuckin' fight."
Laughing softly, she turned to Tommy who was watching them with a grin. "A beer for him. I'll take a screwdriver." She pulled out a ten and slapped it on the counter. Murphy picked it up and gave it back to her.
"I was just fuckin' jokin'."
"But you've been such good little boy. You deserve a free beer." She patted the side of his face lightly. He grabbed her hand and held it in his.
"Aye, but yer money's not good here on St. Patty's day. Irishmen tradition."
Tommy set the drinks down in front of them before she could respond. "They're on the house. Doc's orders."
"Cool. Thanks Tommy." Katie grinned. Murphy pulled on her hand and led her back to the booth again. Setting his drink down, he grabbed the remaining drink from the last round on the table and downed it. Setting the glass back down, he laughed as she crossed her arms and glared at him.
"That was my drink!"
"Ye've got another one now." He pointed at her screwdriver. "Don't leave it ta fuckin' sit there and I won't have to drink it. It was warm."
"Maybe I wanted both of them."
He raised an eyebrow at her and dodged her hand as she tried to hit him. "What was it anyhow?" He made a face.
"Don't know. Connor picked it out. Your brother sucks a picking out drinks."
"And that's why we fuckin' stick ta beer. Christ, that has a bitter aftertaste." Murphy took her screwdriver from her and took a quick drink.
"Murphy. I'm gonna kill you."
"What did he do now?" Connor grinned at her as he slid into the booth.
"He's being Murphy. Enough said." She grabbed her drink from him and pushed him toward the booth. "Now behave."
Murphy just smiled up at her and Kate found herself smiling back despite herself.
Listening halfway to the conversation between Connor and Sara, Katie found her attention kept being drawn away by various drunken antics around her. The Irish really did party on St. Patty's day.
Two of the men on the stools near the bar were getting steadily louder, arguing with each other. She grinned as Doc moved down from his seat behind the bar and leaned down to talk to them. After getting a few laughs, he moved away from the two men and they turned back to the counter, no longer arguing.
A hand waved near her face and she looked up to find Sara grinning at her. "You two got quiet."
"Oh, sorry. I was watching people." Katie smiled back and glanced at Murphy, surprised to find him staring down at his drink.
"We'll get some more drinks. Want anything?"
Katie shrugged then held up her glass. "Another screwdriver." She looked at Murphy who shook his head in response. "Thanks."
Connor slid out after Sara, smiling quickly at Katie. She drained the last of her glass before turning fully to Murphy. "What's up?"
"Nothing." He gave her a small smile but didn't look back down at his drink this time.
"Don't tell me you're tired already."
"Maybe. Don't fuckin' know really." He laughed softly then knocked over his empty bottle with his hand as he reached for it. "Fuck."
Katie grabbed the bottle and set it closer to her. "You okay, Murph?" She looked closer at him.
"Christ, I feel fuckin' drunk already."
"How much have you had?"
"Not nearly enough ta be drunk."
Katie slid out of the booth. "I'll get you some water. Maybe I'll get Connor, too."
He slid out after her but teetered on his feet. Sitting back down, he missed the booth and ended up on the floor leaning against the seat of the booth. Katie crouched down in front of him quickly.
"Murph? Look at me."
He raised his head to her. Reaching out, she put her hands on his face. He didn't feel warm.
"I'll be okay. Just gimme a second…" He rubbed his hands over his face, then pulled them away and stared at them. "Fuck, I am drunk."
Katie's hands shook as she got to her feet quickly and searched the room for Connor. There's something fucking wrong here. She found him up at the bar and he happened to glance over at that moment. His eyes landed on Murphy and he set the drink down. He hurried over with Sara not far behind.
"What the fuck's goin' on?" Connor crouched in front of Murphy and looked closely at him. "What's wrong, Murph?"
"He says he feels drunk." Katie bit her lip and moved to kneel in front of him too.
"Murphy, how much have ye fuckin' had ta drink?" Connor reached out and put his hand on Murphy's forehead. Murphy shook his head.
"About as much as you have. I'm fuckin' fine." He waved Connor's hand away and tried to stand up. Connor caught him as he swayed and helped his brother sit down. He then looked at Katie and shook his head.
"This isn't right. Murphy's not a fuckin' quiet drunk. He usually won't shut up. Ye can tell he's drunk two drinks before he gets there." Connor stepped forward slightly then ran his hand through his hair. He looked at her again. "Has he had anything weird ta drink?"
"Weird? He's only had beer and that shot." She put her hand on Murphy's shoulder and glanced behind him at the table. Her eyes landed on the glass he'd pushed all the way to the far side. "And one of mine."
"So he's had what, five or six drinks? Murphy's not a fuckin' lightweight drinker."
"No, I'm fuckin' not." Murphy's words were slightly slurred. Katie looked down at him, her heart racing. What was going on? He looked up at her but focused his eyes at some point over her shoulder.
"Fuck." Sara's voice came from behind him and both Connor and Katie turned to see that she was kneeling on the other side of the both. She looked seriously at Katie. "Remember, Gwen's 21st birthday?"
"Yeah," Katie answered slowly. "What about it?" Then her eyes widened. "Annie."
"Yeah." Sara held up a coaster in her hand. Connor shook his head.
"What are ye two talkin' about?"
The two girls ignored him as Katie reached out and grabbed the coaster from Sara. "What is this?"
"I bought them after all that happened. Never really used them, but I've always carried a few to the bar with me. They let you test your drinks, Katie."
"Oh my God." She stared down at the coaster. Connor stepped closer to her and looked down.
"What the fuck is this? What is goin' on, Katie?" He took the coaster away from her. Katie put a hand over her mouth.
"That circle on the coaster turns green if your drink has been drugged." Sara stepped out of the booth and put her hand on Connor's arm. "Murphy drank a drink with something in it."
"What the fuck was in it?"
"Roofies, probably. Possibly something similar. That's what it tests for. That means he'll be fine. He just won't remember anything from tonight, most likely."
Katie looked down at Murphy and squeezed his shoulder. He looked up and gave her a small smile before taking her hand and holding it between his. She forced herself to take a deep breath.
"So someone fuckin' drugged his drink?" Connor turned around and looked around the bar. "Why the fuck would they do that?"
"It was my drink." Katie's voice could barely be heard over the loud laughter and talking around them. "He drank my fuckin' drink."
"I'll go tell Doc we're leaving." Sara nodded at them and walked toward the bar.
Connor put his hand on Katie's shoulder. He glanced at Murphy before looking at her. "Its okay, Katie. Let's just get him home."
She nodded and pulled her hand away from Murphy. Connor reached down and put his arm around his waist, pulling his brother's arm over his shoulder. He got Murphy to his feet and managed to keep him from swaying too much.
Connor gave Katie a small smile as they both steered Murphy toward the door. "Let's hope we can find a fuckin' cab."
She nodded slightly and just looked at Murphy. Sara opened the door for them and they made their way out of the bar.
The cab pulled away as Connor worked to keep Murphy upright. He was acting even more intoxicated than he had been when they'd left the bar. Now, as Katie held open the apartment door, Connor has having trouble making him keep moving.
"Connor, put him in my room." Katie's voice was low, almost as if she was afraid of waking Murphy. Connor frowned at her.
"No, I'll keep an eye on him. He can have his own bed."
"Where is Sara going to sleep than?"
He moved his gaze to Sara who shook her head. "No, I'm gonna just go home."
Frowning, Connor shifted his hold on Murphy and nodded at Katie. "Okay. Lead the way."
Katie pulled back the covers on her bed and together, she and Connor got Murphy onto the bed. She knelt down and began working his shoes off. Connor watched her try to work the laces with her shaking hands for a moment before he crouched down beside her.
"Here. Let me do it. I'm more practiced at taking the shoes off a drunken Murphy." He gave her a small smile and began to untie the shoes. Hearing her sigh, Connor looked over at her. She was watching Murphy. "He'll be fine, Katie. If you need me, come get me."
She stood up with him and walked him to her bedroom door. "Goodnight, Connor."
Nodding, he turned away and was relieved to find Sara still out in the living room. She'd sat down on the couch and was staring at the far wall.
"Why don't ye stay tonight?" He rested his head on the door jam of the hallway and looked down at her. She shifted onto the couch to look up at him.
"You have enough to take care of here, Connor."
"Aye, but I really don't want ye goin' home tonight. I'd feel better knowin' ye're here and safe." Connor moved away from the door way and sat down beside her on the couch. She leaned against him and he put his arm around her.
"He'll be okay, Conn."
He was quiet for a moment. "I know. I'm just not used ta seein' him like that. Even when he's drunk he's still completely Murphy."
Sara sat up a little more to look at him. She put her hand on the side of his head and kissed his softly. "And he'll be Murphy again in the morning. I promise."
Smiling a little, he leaned his forehead against hers for a moment. "Ye're good at makin' me feel better. Ye better stick around for my sake."
She laughed and put her head on his shoulder. "Stuff like this happen often?"
"More then ye might think."
Taking his other hand into hers, she traced the outline of his fingers. "Why would someone drug Katie's drink?"
"It might have been someone who didn't even know her."
"But you don't think so."
He shook his head. "Too unlikely. Too many other things have happened."
"Is it connected to her kidnapping?"
Connor tensed and looked down at her. "What do you know about that?"
"She told me tonight. I cornered her and forced it out of her." Sara sat up fully and faced him. She held tightly onto his hand. "I know who you guys are."
He stared at her for a moment before looking down at their hands. "And what is the verdict, Sara?"
"I'm still here, aren't I?"
Leaning down, he kissed her. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For not walking away." He slipped his arm around her again and she rested back against him with a smile.
This is all my fault. Katie watched Murphy sleep from the doorway. It was nearly morning and he still sleep soundly. And she hadn't been able to sleep all night. She set her coat down and moved to the bed, sitting down beside him. His hand came up to sit at her waist and she looked down at him quickly.
"Murph?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. Was he awake? His eyes remained closed and as she watched him breathe, she realized he was still sleeping. Sighing, she studied his face. He looked so much younger asleep. So much sweeter.
Katie could feel the tears coming and was helpless to stop them. It was my fuckin' drink, Murph. You were drugged by my drink. Covering her mouth with her hand, she closed her eyes.
Whoever it was, was after her, not the McManuses. And she knew it would be only so long before they found her. Why bring them down with me? It was simply once she realized it. She had to leave. It was no longer about her feelings. It was about their safety. And their freedom.
Taking a deep breath, Katie looked down at Murphy again. She brushed the stray hairs off his forehead.
"I may have only known you for a week, Murphy. But somewhere in there, I fell in love with you. I only wish I could…I'm so sorry." She kept her voice low and watched him carefully. He continued to sleep.
Forcing herself to stand up, she set his hand gently back by his side. She walked to the door and picked up her backpack. Looking back at him, she felt numb.
"Bye, Murphy McManus."
Opening the door quietly, she didn't allow herself to look back a final time. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the living room was empty. Laying her note on the kitchen table, she took her key off of her ring and set it on the note. With one final look, Katie walked out of the apartment and shut it softly behind her.