Raven and Drew

by WonderChaser

Police Officer Ysabeau Dennis and Dr. Lauren Lewis met for the first time in 2005. Nothing happened but both felt a connection that either one of them never felt before. After a year, a 911 call set the stage for their unexpected but eventful meetup. Now that they met again, will they act towards each other on their own or do they need the help of their friends?

7. Chapter 7 - Fall 2006

Author's Note: I know it's been a while. I planned to upload this one last week but I didn't. I thought I would finish this one and the next chapter at the same time but unfortunately, life and work intervened. I think this might be another filler but at least the case is moving. Hope you like it. Still, thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows. Please bear with me. Sometimes, I am still overwhelmed that I finally had the guts to write this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost Girl and the characters. I just used them for my story.

Trigger Warning: Some parts of this chapter will describe scenes of physical abuse so I changed the rating to M.

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Chapter Seven

Bo called Hale and told him about the sergeant's call. After 30 minutes, the two police officers were already inside Bo's truck and was cruising the road to the police station.

"So did you tell Kenzi and Tamsin about Dr. Lewis?" Hale teased.

She nodded. "I didn't tell them everything. I want to put a semblance of privacy and mystery around Lauren for now. But Kenzi googled her and found out some interesting facts."

"Care to share partner?"

"Well since the information was from Google, yeah sure. The link that Kenzi found was from the Yale University website. It was a citation where it was indicated that Lauren got her pre-med degree in 1999 when she was only 20 years old. She graduated as summa cum laude and got the highest mark among the graduates majoring in the natural sciences and mathematics. Besides being the most intelligent among her peers, she was also an outstanding athlete. She was a varsity in distance running. So in other words, she's simply perfect."

"At least in your eyes." Hale looked at Bo and smiled. "Can't fault you for really liking her. You may love her even."

Bo didn't reply.

"Silence means either you are agreeing with me or you don't know what you really feel."

She smiled. "It means no comment."

Hale narrowed his eyes and stared at her. "Alright I get it. You don't want to talk about it."

She nodded and looked away.

"If you are ready to talk, I'm right here." He saw her nod again and decided to change the topic. "So what did the sergeant tell you when he called?"

"He said that he received a call from the hospital. Nadia has woken up."

"Thank God. But the question is, is she strong enough to answer our questions?"

"I hope so. The case could be solved much sooner if we could talk to her as soon as possible. And take note, we have until 9 o'clock in the evening before Percy Saunders can be released."

Hale looked at his watch. "So we barely have 10 hours to do what we have to do."

Suddenly, they heard Bo's phone ringing. Sergeant Smith's name registered on the screen.

Bo answered her phone. The sergeant's voice was not as calm when he called earlier that morning.

"Dennis, you and Santiago should go to the hospital right now. A lawyer came and demanded to see Percy Saunders. He said he was sent by the family but Saunders was adamant that he'll represent himself and he doesn't need his family's help. So now they are inside the room where the suspect was detained. They argued but we need to watch over them so that they wouldn't come to blows. I need the two of you to talk with the victim's attending physician. Ask her if you could get a statement from Dr. Woods. If you are done, go to Dr. Ellis' office. He's the department head of Dr. Lewis and the victim. He called and said that he will be on his office until around 1 o'clock in the afternoon."

"Got it Sergeant Smith."

"The Department of Genetics is on the second floor of the hospital. He said to ask directions from the nurse station."

"Okay sir. We will do that."

"Good luck Dennis. Call me if you need help."

Bo u-turned the truck and checked the sideway mirror for other vehicles.

"What's up?" Hale asked.

"A lawyer came to see Saunders at the station. Apparently, the family sent him. But Saunders refused. He really wanted to represent himself."

"You know, it was ballsy of him to do that. He knew that it was a bad strategy to represent himself. A good lawyer should know that." Hale pointed out.

"Maybe he was not so okay in the brain department. What else would motivate him to do that?"

"We'll soon find out."

Bo maneuvered the truck through the traffic. "By the way, we also need to talk to Lauren and Nadia's department head. He's in the hospital until one in the afternoon. He was the one who met the EMTs that brought the victim to the ER last night. And take note, he's also the one who implored Lauren to check on Nadia."

"Oh so you're going to thank him for that huh?" Hale teased her.

Bo breathed out heavily.

"Right. We won't talk about that. Got it partner." Hale raised his hands defensively. He sighed. "Kenzi called me this morning and asked me what the fuck happened to me."

"She really said that word?"

"Yeah. I don't understand Bo. She seemed angry when we talked. We were okay when we last saw each other."

"I don't know Hale. Did you ask her why?"

"No. My mind was still foggy with lack of sleep and the accident so I just told her I'm okay and she didn't have to worry."

"Then ask her the next time you see her."

Hale stared at her. He looked like he wanted to say something but changed his mind. He looked away.

"What's on your mind partner? Something's bothering you."

"It was just I remembered the talk I had with my mother last week. She asked me about my plans for the next 5 years. I told her that I'll strive to become a detective or maybe move up the ranks to sergeant. She smiled and said that they are good plans but she reminded me of my father's plans for me."

"He still want you to go back to school and be a lawyer?"

Hale nodded. "And then once I become a lawyer, I will run for a public office."

"And you don't like it."

"I hate it Bo. I'm not like him. I just really want to be a policeman. My mother supports me but my father said that our family has a long line of politicians since our elders established their families here in New Haven and we should follow that tradition. I hate that I don't have a say about it."

"What about your other siblings?"

Hale laughed humorlessly. "Leonard was already working in the city's health department. Valerie's in her last year of school but is active under the city's Youth Services Bureau."

"Tell him that you are already working for the city government. Your job is important for the security of all the men and women of New Haven. Isn't that enough?"

Hale shook his head. "I'll tell you a secret Bo. My father will be running for mayor in the next five years or so and he wants me to be his chief of staff."

"Wow you're not kidding. That's a heavy burden to impose on you Hale." She thought for a second. "Don't think I've noticed but we were talking about Kenzi then you jumped to your five-year plans. Is she part of it?"

"I wish."

She nodded. She wanted to tell Hale about Kenzi and Nate but she knew it's not her place to do it. She saw that they were already approaching the hospital so she released the breath she didn't know she had been holding. "We're here. We will talk about that later if you want to okay? I'm also here for you Hale."

"I know. Let's go."

Both officers rode the elevator to the patients' rooms at the fourth floor. They were told that Nadia's room was on Room 409 but they need to see the attending physician first. They went to the nurses' station and introduced themselves.

Bo spoke first. "Hi good morning..." She looked at the nurse's name plate. "... Nurse Henderson. I'm Officer Ysabeau Dennis and this is my partner Officer Hale Santiago of the New Haven Police Department. We are here to get a statement from one of your patients that was brought here last night by EMTs."

Nurse Henderson looked up and asked, "What was the name of the patient Officer Dennis?"

"Dr. Nadia Woods."

The nurse's face suddenly became sad upon hearing the name. "Oh yeah, I heard about Dr. Woods."

"It seems that you were affected with what happened to her." Bo pointed out.

"Of course. She was a co-employee and..." She leaned and lowered her voice. "... this was not the first time that Dr. Woods became a patient here. I was on duty the last two times when she was hospitalized for the same reason."

Bo raised her eyebrow. That remark definitely confirmed the neighbors' statements that whatever happened last night was not the first incident of violence in the Woods-Saunders household.

"I'm telling you the truth officer." Nurse Henderson protested.

Bo sighed. "I can tell it in your eyes Nurse Henderson and I'm sorry if you misinterpreted my reaction. But we are doing this by the book. We are going to request the hospital records for those times that she was hospitalized."

"Of course officer. I could help you with that. You can also get my statement if you want. Us women should stick together you know. We should not tolerate these kinds of maltreatment that we receive from these insufferable men." She gave Hale a mean stink eye.

"Whoa! I'm not one of those Nurse Henderson. Trust me. Women should be respected and loved, not abused. I agree with you on that." He winked.

She smiled. "Okay. So you can talk to me later but now, you need to talk to her attending physician first. We received the call from a Sergeant Caleb Smith. The victim's doctor is Dr. Patricia Holland. And she was on her office right now. Her office is on Room 245. She's waiting for you. I'll be here until 5 o'clock in the afternoon officers. And then Dr. Ellis was also on the same floor. He's on Room 217. Now go!"

"Thank you Nurse Henderson." Bo smiled. "We'll be right back."

They rode the elevator down to the second floor and followed the directions to the Dr. Holland's office. Hale knocked and opened the door when they heard a silvery voice telling them to come in. The officers immediately entered and stood in front of the doctor's table. The woman behind the table was quite old but with a pleasant demeanor.

"Good morning Dr. Holland. I am Police Officer Hale Santiago and this is my partner Police Officer Ysabeau Dennis. We are here to talk to you regarding Dr. Nadia Woods."

She sighed. "I am expecting you officers. Please sit down. Do you want any drinks?"

"No doctor. Thank you." Hale shook his head. "Do you mind doctor if we record this interview?"

"It is okay officers. I received a call from Sergeant Smith and requested me to assist you on your investigation."

Hale nodded and started the recorder. "This is Police Officer Hale Santiago of NHPD. With me is my partner Police Officer Ysabeau Dennis. Today is September 16, 2006 at 11:05 o'clock in the morning. We are currently in the office of Dr. Patricia Holland, Room 245 of the Yale New Haven Hospital. Doctor, please state your full name, home address and occupation."

"I am Patricia Holland and currently residing at 123 Ogden St. New Haven CT. I am a wound care specialist here in Yale New Haven Hospital."

"Please spell your name for the record doctor."

"P-A-T-R-I-C-I-A-H-O-L-L-A-N-D"

"Thank you Dr. Holland. Now, please explain your relationship with the victim, Dr. Nadia Woods."

"I am her attending physician."

"Please tell us the events that followed when you received the call that Dr. Woods was on her way to the ER."

"Dr. Albert Ellis, Dr. Woods' boss met me at the ER and waited for the ambulance that brought her to the hospital. After 10 minutes, the ambulance came and I supervised her treatment and care from that time on."

"How do you feel when you received the call?"

Dr. Holland leaned back to her chair. "To tell you frankly officers, I was not shocked when Dr. Ellis told me that Dr. Woods was on her way to the ER last night. It was her third this year. But this was the worst because she was unconscious. She was hurt and broken in the first two but at least she's conscious."

"So you were also the attending physician on the first two, doctor?" Hale asked.

"Yes I was. That's the reason why Dr. Ellis called me as soon as the news of what happened to her reached him."

"Can you tell us when this first two incidents happened?"

"Not only I can tell you but I can also show you. I already retrieved the hospital records for the first two incidents for your perusal."

Dr. Holland gave the hospital records to Hale. Hale scanned the documents and hand them over to Bo. "Be it recorded that Dr. Holland gave us the hospital records of Dr. Woods' previous trips to the ER here in the same hospital."

Bo checked the dates.

"The first incident was February 15 and the second was May 22. We knew the third was yesterday, which is September 15. For now, I can't see a pattern on why the incidents happened on the dates mentioned." Bo pointed out. "Dr. Holland, did Dr. Woods tell you anything about these dates?"

She thought for a while and looked at Bo, understanding what the officer was asking. "Look at the hospital records officer. And then find Dr. Woods' date of birth."

Bo looked and nodded. "Her date of birth is May 21. Now there's a possible pattern."

Hale frowned and asked. "What pattern?"

"The first happened the day after Valentine's Day while the second was after her birthday. We need to find out the significance of September 14."

"So you're thinking that the suspect was doing this to her because of the significance of these dates to the victim?" He asked.

"Yes. Or maybe to the suspect too. Doctor Holland, can you say that based on the treatment and care you had given the patient on the past two incidents that the third incident was the worst?"

"I can say that, yes."

"Why?" Bo asked.

"The extensive injuries, the quantity of the wounds - it was like he wanted to punish her thoroughly. The only parts of her body that were not covered with wounds were the scalp and neck. And I found another thing that was different this time." She looked at Bo and Hale. "She was found fully clothed, correct?" Bo nodded. "When she reached the ER, I was puzzled at first because her clothing had cuts but they were few. So when I had to examine the wounds, I found them all over her torso and limbs. They were bloody, thick and fresh."

Bo gasped. "Doctor, are you telling us that Dr. Woods was naked when she was being flogged? And then he clothed her and beat her again?"

"Unfortunately, that was my conclusion based on my thorough examination of the wounds."

"So there's something about September 14 that was different from the other dates. That could be the trigger the suspect needed to escalate his assault of Dr. Woods." Bo pointed out.

"Dr. Holland, on the previous instances that the victim was physically abused, she was fully clothed when he beat her?" Hale asked.

"Yes Officer Santiago. It was also confirmed by the victim at those times. Remember, she was conscious."

Hale looked at Bo. Bo breathed deeply. "Doctor, did Dr. Woods tell you who was beating her?"

"Yes she did."

"Can you tell us who did it?"

"Of course. She said it was her husband who beat her for both times."

"And what is her husband's name?"

"His name is Percy Saunders."

"She openly admitted her relationship with Mr. Percy Saunders to you?"

"Yes. In fact, she also told me that Mr. Saunders was a lawyer."

"Do you know why the victim was open to you about her husband?"

"Maybe because before she became my patient, I was one of her professors when she was studying medicine in Yale. And besides she's one of my colleagues now."

"That's good to know doctor."

The doctor thought for a while and blurted, "Officers, is it true that Dr. Lauren Lewis was your witness?"

"Off the record?" Hale looked at Bo, waiting for her signal. Bo nodded. Hale turned off the recorder.

"It was Dr. Lauren Lewis." Hale answered.

"So Dr. Ellis is not pulling my leg after all." She laughed softly. "I can't believe it when he told me he persuaded Dr. Lewis to check on Dr. Woods." She looked at the officers. "They were both my students and I can say that they didn't have the best of relationships. But they were civil. I think one of the reasons why Dr. Lewis didn't like Dr. Woods much was because of their contradicting work ethics. Lauren was always focused while Nadia was a little scatterbrained. Lauren avoided Nadia like a plague in their laboratory classes."

So maybe she didn't know the bullying incident. Bo cleared her throat.

Dr. Holland continued her narrative. "Lauren was the most intelligent student that I ever had. So that was a deadly combination – highly intelligent and focused. As I told you, I didn't believe that Albert did it. But I thought that Lauren is not only cerebral, she's also a compassionate person. Albert appealed to the softer side of her personality, her heart. Every attending physician here in this hospital wanted Lauren Lewis to be their resident including me but alas, her heart is in Genetics. Albert Ellis won." She smiled.

Bo smirked at the doctor's statement. She can feel the doctor is really proud of Lauren, her former student. She was suddenly aware of Hale looking at her like she was weird or something. She then realized that Dr. Holland asked a question directly to her.

"Did Dr. Lewis tell you that Dr. Woods was her classmate in the medical school, Officer Dennis?"

"No doctor. It didn't come up during our interview with Dr. Lewis. But we knew that they were both in the same residency program." Bo answered.

Dr. Holland nodded. She was about to speak when they heard someone knocking at the door. After the third knock, it was opened and a tall and handsome man in a scrub suit entered the office.

"Ooops sorry Dr. Holland, I didn't know that you have company. But can I speak to you for a second please?"

"Dr. Carlo, come inside. I want you to meet the police officers who are in charge of finding out what happened to Dr. Woods. Officers, this is Dr. Adam Carlo. He's an Emergency Medicine resident and a former classmate of Dr. Woods in the medical school as well. How can I help you Dr. Carlo?"

"Uhmm…" The younger doctor frowned.

The older doctor sighed. "Dr. Carlo, if it's about Dr. Woods you can ask me in front of these good officers."

He cleared his throat and said, "I just want to know how Nadia is doing Dr. Holland. I got the news from one of my fellow residents this morning."

"Although she was unconscious when she was brought to the ER last night, she's now okay Adam."

"Did you say unconscious Dr. Holland? How… why… what happened?" Bo and Hale noticed that the younger doctor was caught off guard by the news.

"The police were still investigating about that. Right now, let's focus on Dr. Woods' care and treatment."

"Of course Dr. Holland. I apologize for my outburst." He looked at the police officers. "I hope you give Nadia the justice she deserves officers."

"We are doing the best we can Dr. Carlo. Do you mind if we ask you some questions?" Bo asked.

"Sure. Fire away Officer…" He looked at Bo's nameplate. "… Dennis." He smiled sweetly at her.

Bo raised her eyebrow. "How well do you know Dr. Woods?"

"Well, Nadia and I were classmates in Yale from our pre-med studies up until medical school. So we can say we are close friends. We got separated when she chose Genetics as her specialty rather than Emergency Medicine as we have agreed before. But I didn't take that against Nadia. She was quite smitten with Dr. Lewis during medical school. So maybe she thought if she followed Lauren in Genetics, Lauren would change her mind in rejecting Nadia's advances."

Bo tried hiding her shock but Hale noticed it. "What do you mean by that Dr. Carlo?" Hale asked.

"Nadia confessed to Lauren that she was in love with her but Lauren rejected her several times. I knew this because Nadia had been going to me crying and devastated every time."

"That's quite a mouthful Dr. Carlo." Bo commented. "How will that help our case?"

The doctor didn't notice the sarcastic tone the question was delivered with. "I just want you to know how close I am to Dr. Woods."

"I don't think your story about Dr. Lewis' rejection of Dr. Woods was necessary to the case Dr. Carlo." Dr. Holland said, disappointment evident in her face. "And besides, you and I know that Dr. Lewis won't change her mind about Dr. Woods. You were there. After what she did to her!"

Dr. Carlo opened his mouth and looked ashamed. "I'm so sorry about that Dr. Holland."

Bo turned to the older doctor. "You knew about what happened before?"

"Of course Officer Dennis. I've been with Yale for how many years now. I really made efforts to know my students well."

Dr. Carlo stared at them. "What happened before?"

"If Dr. Woods didn't tell you then I can't tell you doctor. It's her story to tell." The older doctor gave him the stink eye.

Strike two. Bo smirked. The younger doctor frowned.

"If you really are close to Dr. Woods, do you know that she has a husband?" Hale asked.

"Yeah, I knew about him. It's Percy Saunders. He's a lawyer."

"Do you know what he is doing to her?"

"She told me about the first two trips to ER. I was actually the one who went to her house to get her and bring her here in the hospital."

"Interesting. Did you see Percy Saunders when you were there to get her?"

"No officers. Nadia told me that he went to their basement so I acted quickly and got her to my car and I brought her here." He looked at the older doctor. "That's why I was shocked when you said that she was unconscious last night. That didn't happen before."

"Dr. Carlo, do you know the significance of September 14 to Dr. Woods?" Bo asked.

He looked at her and answered, "It was my birthday Officer Dennis."

The other three people in the room looked at each other, thinking about the theory they formed earlier about the dates.

"You are looking at each other like you know something that I didn't. What is it?" asked Dr. Carlo.

Bo nodded to Hale.

"Dr. Carlo, the dates of Dr. Woods' to the ER were February 15, May 22 and September 15. We formed a theory based on those dates and we concluded that the suspect was doing bad things to her the day after a significant date to the victim." Hale said.

"That's a good theory officers and I will make it better. February 14 was not just the typical Valentine's Day for them. It's their wedding anniversary." He pointed out.

"So it holds the theory?" Bo asked. "Now doctor, why do you think your birthday was significant? You did not deny or you did not try to take away yourself from all of this, knowing about our theory."

"I don't know…"

"Don't patronize us doctor, you know why. You were consistently helpful and utterly tactless a while ago, now you don't know? I don't think so." Bo shook her head.

"Tell them what you know Adam. You already inserted yourself into the investigation. Why don't you give your all? Besides, this is for Nadia." Dr. Holland told the younger doctor.

"Alright. Nadia told me that her husband was jealous of me. But she told him that I was just a friend. But he didn't believe her."

"Where were you on your birthday doctor?"

"I was out celebrating with Nadia. Why would you… oh! So there's a possibility that he saw us that night? But we were with a company of friends, we're not the only ones there."

"He saw you or someone told him. But he didn't care about that Dr. Carlo. Maybe he's so jealous he can't see that you're with your friends. For him, Nadia was there with you and no one else." Hale pointed out.

"So you're saying what happened to Nadia was my fault?" His eyes burned with anger.

Dr. Holland stood up and went in front of the younger doctor. "Hold your anger Dr. Carlo. It's clouding your judgment. The good officers were not insinuating that it's your fault. What I heard was it's the fault of the suspect, not yours. So simmer down that anger. Or I'll kick you out of this room."

He held his hands up and said, "Sorry doctor. Sorry officers." He looked at Bo and Hale.

"Did he know about Dr. Woods' wooing of Dr. Lewis? Was he ever jealous of Dr. Lewis?" Bo asked.

"I don't think so. Besides, Lauren only talked to Nadia if necessary. Lauren avoided Nadia like a plague. She also had someone sticking up to her, Dr. Ciara Adkins. She's also our classmate in medical school. There's no way Dr. Lewis would be caught with Nadia in public." He explained.

"Dr. Carlo, one of these days if we needed your testimony is it okay if we invite you in the police station so we can get your official statement?" Bo asked. Then she looked at the older doctor. "Dr. Holland, as we have recorded yours, is it okay if we come back here and make you sign your official statement?"

"That's fine with me Officer Dennis. Dr. Carlo?" asked the older doctor.

"Yeah sure, anything that can help Nadia's case. Let me give you my calling card. I will write my personal cellphone number at the back of the card Officer Dennis. Call me anytime." He winked at her.

She scowled at him and gave the card to Hale. "Hale will call you Dr. Carlo. Thank you."

"And Adam, I will let you know the progress of Nadia's treatment. I need to wrap this up with the officers. See you later." Dr. Holland said.

He knew he was dismissed so he smiled at Dr. Holland and to the officers and let himself out of the room.

"I'm so sorry about Dr. Carlo officers. He's Dr. Woods' friend and was a classmate of Dr. Lewis and Dr. Adkins but he was a handful, wasn't he? I didn't know that Percy Saunders was jealous of him or even what he said about Dr. Lewis and Dr. Woods. This case got more complicated. The people involved were all Yalies, except for Mr. Saunders although he was almost a Yalie. I hope you solve this case as soon as possible officers." Dr. Holland sighed.

"We are doing the best we can doctor." Bo smiled. "Thank you for taking your time talking to us. Is it okay to see Dr. Woods later? Can we already talk to her about the case?"

"As I told you earlier, Dr. Woods was a little scatterbrained when it comes to her studies." She laughed. "But her mind is strong. You could talk to her. Just come back here in my office in an hour or so. You will talk first to Dr. Ellis right?"

"Yes doctor. Did Dr. Woods' family already know about what happened?" Hale asked.

"Yes her parents are here. Maybe you can also talk to them later as well. See you officers."

"Yes Dr. Holland. Thank you again." They got out the door and looked at each other while walking towards the nurses' station.

Hale looked at Bo. "That Dr. Carlo was kind of tactless, don't you think? Dr. Holland scolded him but he already got it out of the bag – Dr. Woods wooed Dr. Lewis when they were in the medical school." Bo didn't reply. "Are you mad at Lauren, Bo?" Hale asked.

"What? Why would I be mad at her?"

"Well, she didn't tell us about that…"

"Hale, I'm not mad at her. I understand why she didn't mention it. It's not pertinent to the case. I also didn't find the bullying part relevant to it as well." Bo pointed out.

"So why the scowl on your face?"

"Well for one, I don't like Dr. Carlo. He's tactless, insensitive and arrogant. I know he's not a friend of Lauren but I didn't like how he blurted out that information. I got it that he was a close friend of Nadia and she told him about it but telling it like it's in his rights to tell other people, I can't dismiss the feeling that he has ulterior motives. I don't think Nadia will be happy if she knew that we knew about it. Lauren won't be happy too, I bet."

"But I didn't miss the smile he gave you a while ago and the hint that you call him personally. Someone has a crush." Hale smiled while teasing her partner.

"Huh what are we, teenagers? Well he's good looking, I give him that. But I know a doctor who is better looking than him, blonde, hot and gorgeous even." She smirked.

"You got it." Hale laughed. "Dr. Carlo didn't stand a chance."

The partners walked until they reached Dr. Ellis' office. They knocked and when they heard the permission to come in, they entered. He was the same age as Dr. Holland and they both looked like your typical grandparents – old but warm human beings. The man behind the desk stood up and smiled at the officers. "Come in officers and sit. Do you want any drinks?" When both officers shook their heads he said, "Okay, so let's start." He blew a huge breath. "First of all, I would like to thank you officers for responding to Dr. Lewis' 911 call. I was told by your sergeant that you were also the officers that he will send here to talk to me." He turned to Bo and said, "Of course, you are Police Officer Ysabeau Dennis and you are Police Officer Hale Santiago." He looked at Hale. Both officers nodded.

"Dr. Ellis, we will be recording our interview okay?" The doctor nodded. Bo started the recorder. "This is Police Officer Ysabeau Dennis of NHPD. With me is my partner Police Office Hale Santiago. We are currently in Room 217 of the Yale New Haven Hospital, the office of Dr. Albert Ellis at 12:40 in the afternoon. Dr. Ellis, can you state your name, home address and occupation."

"My name is Albert Ellis, currently residing at 1644 Chapel St. New Haven CT. I am an attending physician here in Yale New Haven Hospital and also the head of the Genetics department."

"Can you spell your name for us?"

"A-L-B-E-R-T-E-L-L-I-S"

"Thank you Dr. Ellis. Please tell us what happened on the night of September 15, 2006."

"It all started in the afternoon Officer Dennis. It was 1:00 o'clock in the afternoon when I summoned Dr. Lewis into my office." He told them about his conversation with Lauren and how he convinced her to check on Nadia.

"Why did you choose Dr. Lewis to check on her? Why not her other colleagues?"

"She's the only one who has the best relationship with Dr. Woods."

"What do you mean by that Dr. Ellis?"

"Dr. Woods has been my resident for three years now officers and I can say that most of her colleagues here in the Genetics department avoid her, except for Dr. Lewis. She seemed afraid of Lauren. I don't know why. But they were civil to each other, most of the times. I was very concerned about Nadia officers so I needed to send someone to check on her and good thing Lauren complied."

"Dr. Ellis, we knew this was not the first time Dr. Woods did a trip to the ER. You also mentioned that you needed to check on her because she was not reporting here at work since Monday. So that's five days all in all. Was she like that on the first two incidents?" Bo asked.

"Let me check my records Officer Dennis." He opened a drawer and brought out a folder. "Pardon me but I'm a Luddite so this was my attendance records ever since." He laughed. "But the hospital imposed a computerized one but my secretary has that. I think this is more accurate." He flipped the pages until he saw what he wanted. "According to my records, the same happened sometime in February and... " He traced the page with his finger. "… May. And that coincided with her previous trips to the ER." He sighed.

"Did you send someone to check on her on those times?"

"No because eventually Dr. Holland would tell me that she already ended up in her ER. And her friend Dr. Adam Carlo brought her here. What happened last night was the culmination of the longest time that she went AWOL officers."

"How many days were the previous ones?"

"Just three days, every time. So on the third day this last time and still she haven't reported back to me or she haven't ended up in the ER yet, I started to be concerned. That's why I decided to send someone to check on her."

"Dr. Ellis, we know every trip to the ER the patient needed a recovery period before she can go back to school or work. So on the first two instances that Dr. Woods ended up in the ER, how many days did she use to recuperate with her injuries?"

The doctor looked at his records again and said, "Three days officers so on the past, she was absent for 12 days on those two instances. But I think on the recent one, she will need more time. Dr. Holland told me about the severity and the quantity of the wounds."

"After all the times did you ever talk to Dr. Woods about what's happening to her during these ER trips?"

The doctor leaned on his table and sighed. "You know officers, my residents are like my children. I care about their well-being. She told me about her secret marriage to her husband. She said her husband was a physical person but he was not physically hurting him yet. So I thought maybe at first, he was hurting her emotionally, but the physical abuse came later in their marriage."

"Did she tell you when the wedding happened?"

"She did not specifically tell me the date but it was when she was in the first year of her residency or in other terms, when she's still an intern."

"Please continue your narrative about your talk with Dr. Woods, doctor."

"Ah yes. My theory was she was emotionally abused at first. Maybe you wanted to ask where my theory came from. On her first year of residency, I can see that she was happy. She even made efforts to talk to her fellow residents, especially to Lauren. But that stopped on her second year. She was emotionally withdrawn, even to me. I summoned her several times to my office and she always said that she's fine. She said she's just missing her husband. She told me that her husband's clientele were mostly from Delaware so he just came here in New Haven once a month. So I thought that's her reason so I didn't pry further. And then came this year. The physical abuse began. So I started summoning her to my office. I asked her what happened. She said there was just a misunderstanding. She already explained it to her husband and they made up. Then it happened again in May. This time she said her husband became jealous of Dr. Adam Carlo. He was a close friend of Dr. Woods. They were inseparable. She said there's nothing between them and they are just friends. I advised that maybe they should see a marriage counselor but her husband didn't like the idea so nothing happened. Then last night…"

"Did you already visit her in her?"

"Not yet. I am ashamed officers."

"Why?"

"I should have pushed harder or talked to Dr. Holland and Dr. Carlo and called for an intervention."

"Doctor, you can't blame yourself for all of these. Even if you pushed harder or called for an intervention, if the suspect thrived on hitting his wife without reason, it's not on you Dr. Ellis." Bo said.

The doctor nodded sadly. "I know that in my mind officer but my heart can't accept that yet."

"Is that the reason why you were there when she was brought to the ER?"

"Yes. I needed to see how she was. Dr. Lewis actually offered but I can't let her do it. She already did a lot by going there and calling 911."

"You know that when she did that, Dr. Lewis became the main witness for the case we are building against Dr. Woods' husband."

Dr. Ellis gasped. "Oh my God, I didn't realize that. I… I... need to talk to Dr. Lewis. She doesn't need this burden. It should have been me. Oh my God."

"Dr. Ellis, we didn't tell you that information so you could beat yourself up." Bo looked at the doctor straight in the eye and said, "My partner and I promise you doctor that we will protect Dr. Lewis from harm, scrutiny or whatever that will jeopardize her privacy and security."

The doctor nodded. "That's all I wanted to hear from you. And please you must do your best to give justice to what happened to Dr. Woods. She didn't deserve her husband and all what he did to her. He must be disbarred. And I know it's not a nice to wish bad things to happen to him but he may rot in jail."

Hale smiled. "That's okay doctor. The bastard deserves it and more. We promise that we will do our very best to do that."

"Thank you officers. By the way, Nadia's parents were already contacted by the hospital. They were recorded as her emergency contacts, not her husband. That's a good thing right?"

"Good thing she didn't change her emergency contacts. Doctor Ellis, thank you for taking your time to see us. We will go back to Dr. Holland's office. She will accompany us to Dr. Woods' room." Bo told him.

The doctor shook their hands. "I should be the one thanking you Officers Dennis and Santiago. Good luck with the case. Please see me again if you have any further questions. I will answer them as long as they will help Dr. Woods' case."

"We will Dr. Ellis." The officers stood up and walked to the door.

They walked to the lobby and checked the time. "It's already 1:30 in the afternoon, time for late lunch." Hale smiled.

"Haven't you eaten your breakfast?" Bo asked.

"Not yet. I'm about to but you called so I'm hungry." Hale frowned.

"Well why didn't you tell me?" Bo slapped Hale's arm. "Have you already taken a pain medicine?"

"For what?"

"Your headache! Didn't you have an accident early this morning or have you forgotten already?" Bo shook her head.

"Oh yeah. No I haven't because if I did, it will just mess up my brain and I can't be useful for you so I will take it later."

"Will a Tylenol do that? I don't think so. I think I have a bottle of that in my bag but you need to eat first so, we should ask Nurse Henderson where the cafeteria is so we could eat properly. I don't think that would take an hour. We badly need a break. After we eat and you take a Tylenol, we would return to Dr. Holland's office and talk to Dr. Woods. Sounds okay?"

"Sounds good." Hale nodded.

They rode the elevator up to the fourth floor and went to the nurses' station. They found the Nurse Henderson waiting for them. "So how did it go officers?" She asked.

"Dr. Adam Carlo happened Nurse Henderson." Hale smiled.

"That pervert! All of us female nurses here avoid him because he's a flirt and has no respect for us. He also can't close his mouth. He's tactless and a horrible doctor. I wondered why Dr. Woods became his friend."

"I don't know but we have a saying – birds with same feathers flock together." Hale quipped.

"Uh looks like you know something I don't know. Care to share officer?"

"Sorry, my lips are sealed." Hale winked. "We didn't expect you would still be here. Not busy?"

"Fortunately no. Hospitals are not too busy at this time. All the employees are on the cafeteria right now."

"Why aren't you? It's already lunch time." Bo asked.

"Well, I'm not that hungry. Besides I'm eating snacks here in the station so I'm still good. You wanted to know where the cafeteria is?" The nurse smiled. "Take the elevator and go down to the first floor. Turn left and walk straight then turn left again until you can see the signage and the menu displayed in front of the said cafeteria. Enjoy!"

The officers said their thanks and started to hunt down the cafeteria.

"Hale, I want to review the information that we got from our talks with the three doctors before we set our interview with Dr. Woods.

"That's fine with me. We can do that while we eat." Hale nodded.

After several minutes, they found the cafeteria and entered. Several heads turned towards them. Bo suddenly felt awkward by the stares that were directed to them, especially to her. "Why did I suddenly think that they were all looking at us?"

Hale looked down at his uniform. "Maybe because we were the only police officers here right now?"

"Right. So let's get our food. The sooner we can eat, the sooner we can get out of here."

"Or maybe we just leave and buy our food outside. I saw some food carts on the parking lot. We can talk freely there about the case." Hale suggested.

Bo smiled. "I didn't think of that partner. Alright, let's go."

They went out of the cafeteria and walked towards the parking lot.

"Bo I didn't tell you but when we were inside the cafeteria, I saw a table where group of male doctors were staring at you. Dr. Carlo was there with them."

She stopped walking and scowled at her partner. "What? And you are telling me this now?"

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you sooner Bo. I know he's already in you shit list so I got you out of there. And besides this is not our territory. He's not worth it okay?"

She blew a breath. "Right, fine. Thank you Hale. He really is a pompous bastard."

They continued their walk and reached the rows of food trucks. They stopped at the one selling Mexican tacos and ordered their food.

When they sat at an empty bench on the parking lot, they started eating and discussing the information they got from the interviews.

"So what were the main highlights of our interviews?" Hale asked.

"I liked that we saw a pattern on the dates when Dr. Woods was brought to the ER. That was tricky at first but we pulled it through." Bo pointed out.

"But can we trust that Dr. Carlo was telling the truth all the time?"

"Yeah I think so. He's a pompous bastard alright but I saw in his eyes that he was telling the truth. And he was telling them in front of Dr. Holland. I think she could have called bullshit if he was lying. But I think he stretched some things on what he told us."

"Like what?" Hale frowned.

"He said Nadia was crying and devastated when Lauren rejected her. That was when they were in the medical school. Then suddenly, she married Percy Saunders after a year or so? I don't think so."

"So you didn't think she was devastated?"

"No, that's a bit stretched. I'm not sure why Dr. Carlo said that but we can confirm it later with Dr. Woods."

"Was it going to affect the case?"

"I think so. That's why I asked him if he thought Percy Saunders knew about Dr. Woods' wooing of Dr. Lewis during medical school."

"So if Percy Saunders knew about it..."

"If he knew about that and if ever there will be a leak that Lauren was the witness, what do you think will happen Hale?"

"It could be a disaster. Not good for our witness. But what if Dr. Carlo was not stretching the truth about Dr. Woods' devastation over Dr. Lewis' rejection?"

"If she really was devastated then why marry Percy Saunders after a year or two?"

"She already moved on?"

"Right. That could be true. But why did Dr. Carlo tell us about that? I think there was a purpose Hale. He didn't just blurt it out like that." Bo stood up and started pacing. "We need to figure it out."

"Okay, I'll eat first then maybe I can think clearer. You sit down and finish your tacos."

Bo sat down and dutifully finished her food and drinks. She thought hard and went back to the conversation with Dr. Carlo.

"Hale I have an idea!" She turned and looked at her partner. "Dr. Carlo told us about that before we told him about the pattern we discovered. It was obvious that he was the trigger. Dr. Woods had the worst beating on his birthday maybe because Saunders saw them celebrating. He also told us that Saunders was jealous of him. Maybe at first, he wanted Lauren to take the blame. But when we told him about the pattern, he backtracked. And he got angry when you pointed out that maybe Saunders saw them and got jealous. He also got Lauren off the hook and said that Lauren won't be caught in public with Nadia. Did you remember?"

Hale nodded. "Your theory is plausible Bo. So the questions are – what is the real relationship of Dr. Woods and Dr. Carlo? Are they really just friends? Is Saunders just maliciously jealous? Is Lauren just a mere witness or the other subject of Saunders' wrath?"

"We will soon find out. One more thing that disturbed me was the fact that Saunders and Dr. Woods were married but he was seeing his wife once a month? If he's really an insanely jealous husband, will he be satisfied with that arrangement? What will you do Hale if you were Saunders?"

"Heck, I will have my wife close to me all the times. It's either I will transfer my practice here in New Haven or I will persuade my wife to transfer her residency in Delaware."

"I will do the same thing. But Saunders was contented seeing his wife once a month. There's something wrong with that scenario." Bo shook her head.

"Partner, we need to interview Saunders. If you remember, it was Dr. Ellis who told us about Saunders seeing his wife once a month."

"That's because that was Nadia told him. We need to check Percy Saunders' travel history. If he really did come here just once a month, how would he know about his wife's indiscretions?" Bo asked. "It's either he has someone inside the hospital or he hired a private detective."

Hale frowned. "We have so many theories to discuss with Sergeant Smith. This case is really complicated."

Bo looked at her watch and looked at her partner. "We need to go inside and talk to Dr. Woods." She picked her paper plates and cup and threw them in the garbage.

"Just one last bite. Damn, that was delicious. Good thing the food trucks were here." Hale wiped his mouth. "Let's go."

They walked inside the hospital and reached the elevator.

"Hale, is it okay if we go to Vex and Lauren's house later? We need them to sign their statements so we can finally file them."

"Yeah, that's fine with me. We also need to update them with what we have learned today."

"Right. I will send a text to Lauren and ask if we could pass by their house later."

"Just pass by partner?" Hale's eyes twinkled.

Bo laughed. "You just can't resist teasing me huh?"

"Of course. I can't resist when you're in a good mood." Hale smirked.

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Author's Note: Please read and review.