Chris Larabee found himself exactly where he didn't want to be, in a hospital waiting room. After arriving at the emergency room, he and the other two members of his team were summarily dismissed by the staff. A sympathetic nurse reminded them where the waiting room was. Josiah quickly ran off to find coffee and Nathan found a magazine that was actually new.
Chris was left with his own thoughts, which was not a good thing. How could a police officer's child have been taken two days ago and no one had known about it? No Amber alert, no news coverage, nothing. At the least there would have been some sort of rumor floating around the Federal building. You could always trust government employees to have their ears open and tongues flapping.
Then there was the issue of that damn phone call. Who the hell gave them up? The Genovese family now knew that they had been played. Any chance for a clean and simple bust was shot to shit. God, if that phone call had come any sooner, Chris could be waiting to hear about one of his own men. The timing of that phone call . . .
A throat being cleared roused him from his thoughts. He looked up to see a grinning Vin holding out a bag. "I picked up some clothes for ya. Thought ya wouldn't want to sit 'round like a wet sponge."
Chris nodded his thanks and went to find the closest restroom. When he returned, he saw Nathan's wife Rain had joined the group. Nathan had called her after alerting the hospital of their arrival. She had been on her way out after her 18-hour shift was over. She stuck around to find out what was going on with the girl.
Rain saw Chris returning to the group. "All right, here's what I found out. Dr. Chang is working on her. He's a good doctor. So far he is treating her for severe dehydration with an IV. Her kidneys appear to be functioning fine. Her arm is most likely sprained, but an x-ray has already been scheduled. What the biggest concern is now is the pneumonia. From what Nathan told me, it's probably been a couple of days. Her lungs getting soaked didn't help any. He has started a broad-spectrum antibiotic for now. A blood test will determine the specific bacteria and then they will use a more effective antibiotic. He will need to know if she has any allergies to medications. Have you been able to contact her parents?"
"She didn't have any ID on her and she passed out before she told us any names," Chris answered. He lowered his voice. "Do we need to get a court order for a rape kit?"
He could feel the men around him tense up. Luckily Rain spoke quickly. "There's no evidence to warrant one. Besides, she may be over 15 years old, so she may be capable of giving informed consent once she is stabilized."
"Has she said anything?" Josiah asked.
Rain shook her head. "The pneumonia and dehydration have basically knocked her out. A couple of hours of liquids and meds will help her become aware and coherent." She quickly covered a yawn.
Nathan put an arm around her shoulders. "Where is she now?"
"She's still in the ER, waiting for the x-ray. It'll probably be another hour or so, then she'll be moved to a recovery room."
Chris asked, "Who do I talk to about getting her into a private room?"
"I told Dr. Chang that you would want to speak with him right away. He should be coming out here pretty soon," Rain replied.
"Thanks for all your help, Rain. Take your husband home."
Nathan frowned, "How about you? You didn't exactly take a relaxing swim in the river tonight."
"I'm staying until the girl wakes up. We've got to get a name to contact her parents.
"Don't worry, Nate," Vin smiled. "Josiah and I will keep him out of trouble." With an eye roll from the blond, the couple chuckled and said their good byes.
Watching the couple walk away, Vin turned back to the team leader. "Why a private room?"
"Those damn thugs didn't have a problem killing her tonight. If they find out that she's not dead, they might try again."
Josiah spoke up, "And there is the matter of that mysterious phone call.
"What 'bout it?"
The older man looked at Chris, who nodded, before continuing. "They were informed of our presence after Travis spoke with Chris."
Vin's eyes widened. "You don't think the Judge . . ."
"Of course not!" Chris snapped. Josiah placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Sorry. But Travis called the FBI and Denver PD. Who knows how many people were contacted while we were waiting? God, we sat there with thumbs up our asses for over twenty minutes! Someone knew about the kid and didn't have a problem with killing her."
"This might also explain why this particular family has been so difficult to prosecute." Josiah shook his head in disbelief. "They could have an inside man."
"So, where does the kid fit in to all this?" Vin asked.
Chris sighed. "I don't know." The adrenaline rush that had been fueling him through the evening was finally wearing down. He sat down heavily in a chair. "This is going to be a real mess."
"How about I get us some more coffee?" Josiah proposed. "Rain mentioned it could be another hour."
He stood up and noticed a young Asian man in a white lab coat walking towards them. "Brothers, I think the doctor is here."
Chris stood and quickly made introductions. "How is she? Is she awake?"
Dr. Chang knew the reputation of Team 7's leader. Other doctors would rather deal with hysterical parents and crazed drug addicts than this man. Taking a deep breath, he started, "She is responding well to the IV. It will be a couple of hours before we see how the antibiotic is working. The x-ray didn't show any fractures in her arm, so we will treat her for a sprain. Her shoulder is also showing signs of trauma, but nothing too serious. There is no sign of concussion, but she will have a nasty bruise on her face for the next couple of days." He paused to catch his breath. "She is being moved to recovery now."
Josiah tried to hide the smile that threatened to break out on his face. He knew Chris could intimidate the hell out of anyone. This kid was trying hard to hold his own.
Chris shook his head. "She needs a private room."
The young doctor frowned. Before Chris could attack, Vin explained, "She may be in danger from the folks who did this to her. She's gonna need a security detail posted outside her room."
"OK, well, I'll . . . I'll get the head of security down here to . . . to talk with you," Dr. Chang stammered. He collected himself. "I will start arranging the room right now." He quickly excused himself and left.
Chris looked at his watch. It was past midnight, now Friday morning. He turned to his teammates. "As soon as she is settled, you two head home. I'll stick around and speak with security about the measures I want put in place.
//I ain't leavin' ya here, Cowboy.//
//Damn it, Vin. Can't you just do what you're told?//
//Nope.//
Josiah sat back down. He could tell his teammates were having one of their "private" conversations.
A nurse stepped into the waiting room. She glanced at the two men staring at each other and quickly decided to deal with the older man sitting down. "Sir?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Are you the gentlemen who brought in the girl?"
Josiah nodded. She approached him and handed him a chain. "The doctor said that this was the only personal item on her." She looked around and lowered her voice. "Jewelry tends to end up missing around here."
"Really?"
The young woman took another furtive look around and then sat down next to him. "Are you guys cops? I just started here and everyone seems to know who you are."
The profiler smiled. "We do seem to show up here quite a bit. We are Team 7 from ATF."
With wide eyes, she repeated, "Team 7?" She looked at Chris and Vin, who just noticed her. She lowered her voice again. "Did you know that there is a pool on you guys?"
Josiah heard Vin chuckled. Chris stomped up to the nurse. "A pool?" he growled.
The woman looked up at the scary blond man staring down at her. "Y . . Yes. I mean . . . I don't . . . " She appealed to the nice older man next to here, who patted her arm assuredly.
"Brother, try to remember the saying 'Don't kill the messenger.' Thank you, my dear, for the chain. I will keep it safe." Josiah helped her to her feet and gently pushed her out of the waiting room. He turned back to his fuming friend. "Now, Chris, try to calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down. I don't like the idea of people placing bets on us." Chris muttered.
Vin smirked. "I got twenty on J.D."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Means next time we're on a bust, I'm gonna make sure J.D. stubs his big toe or somethin' so he ends up here."
"Now Brother, that is a very callous thing to do. Besides, my money would be on Ezra. That boy is an accident magnet."
"This has got to be the sickest thing I've every heard of." Chris could barely keep the grin off his face as he whispered loudly to Josiah, "Anyway, the safest bet would be Vin."
The sharpshooter tried to look hurt, but the smirk didn't help.
The same young nurse rushed into the waiting room. "Gentleman, Dr. Chang needs to see you now."
The three men followed the woman down the corridor. As they approached a suite, they could hear raised voices and coughing.
Inside, the girl was struggling with the doctor to get out of the bed. She was coughing heavily. She had already pulled out the IV and blood was dripping from her uninjured arm.
Dr. Chang saw the agents. "She's been asking for the ATF man. Maybe one of you can calm her down. I don't want to have to sedate her."
Chris went to step forward, but an arm stopped him. "Be sure to show your badge," Josiah suggested.
Pulling out his wallet, he held it open as he spoke. "You're OK now. You're safe." He stood beside the bed, not knowing what else to do.
Still coughing, the girl did calm down. She briefly touched the badge. "Where am I?" she rasped.
Dr. Chang cleared his throat. "You are at Mercy General Hospital in Denver. Are you from Denver?"
The girl nodded slowly. She looked around the room at each person. "Where's . . . my dad?"
"We'll get him here as soon as we can. But we need your help. What's your name?" Chris asked.
"My name . . . is . . . Jill Carlisle."
"Well, Jill, I'm Chris and these are my friends Josiah and Vin. You tell us who you want us to call and we'll make sure they know you are OK." He pointed to the doctor. "Doctor Chang is here to help you feel better, so you need to do what he says. "
For the first time, the girl spoke to the doctor. "I don't feel good. What's the matter with me?"
Dr. Chang smiled. "Nothing that can't be easily fixed. You've developed pneumonia. Have you been feeling sick lately?"
"Yeah. Mr. Demetrios let me leave work early 'cause I wasn't feeling good. I was waiting for the bus when . . ." The little color that had returned to the girl's face disappeared.
Josiah stepped forward. "Do you work at Mr. D's Music Emporium?"
"Yes, sir. How did you know?"
"I met Mr. Demetrios about a year ago. He donated instruments for a few church concerts." Josiah sat down on a stool next to the bed. "Are you a musician as well?"
For the first time, Chris saw a small smile on the girl's face. "Yes, sir. I play the violin."
The profiler looked at the doctor. "Can I stay and speak with Jill about her musical talent while you finish your examination?" Dr. Chang agreed.
Chris patted Josiah's shoulder. He knew his friend would keep the girl calm enough for the doctor to finish settling her in. "We'll work on contacting your parents. I'll need all the phone numbers you can think of to help.
"Just my dad, sir. Peter Carlisle. He's a detective with the police department."
Vin found a piece of paper and a pen. The girl wrote down several phone numbers. Chris and Vin left the room to let the doctor and the nurse finish their work.
The team leader patted his pockets looking for his cell phone. "Where the hell is that damn thing?" he growled.
"Last time I saw it, it was flyin' through the air in yer car," Vin commented with a straight face.
"Shit. All right. You start calling those numbers. I'll go back to the car and get my phone. I bet Travis tried to call me by now." Chris headed out to the parking lot.
By the time he got back to the waiting room, he listened to his four messages. First one was from Ezra. It took the undercover agent three minutes to convey that he had talked with AD Travis. The second message was from Nathan, wanting an update on the girl. The next message was from the former judge, expecting to meet with Chris at 9:00 am. The final message was from Buck. His oldest friend was checking in to let Chris know that he, J.D., and Ezra had finished at the office and were heading home. He also offered to take care of the horses at Chris' ranch in the morning.
He had just sat down in the same damn waiting room when Vin walked up. From the look on the sniper's face, Chris knew the news was not good. "What's wrong?"
"Seems the dad's missing too. The precinct sergeant said Carlisle ain't been in since Wednesday. He ain't answering his cell and I had to leave a message on the home phone."
Chris growled. "This is getting worse every minute. Now we have a missing cop."
"Time to call in the Fibbies?" Vin asked.
"I'll let Travis make that call. I'm meeting with him later."
"Whatcha gonna tell the girl?"
The idea of sharing this news with the girl did not sit well with the team leader. "Let's talk to Josiah and the doctor, see what they think."
The two men made their way back to the private suite. A security guard was standing outside the door. "I'm supposed to speak with an Agent Larabee."
"That's me. Vin, go in and get Josiah and Chang. We need to work out a plan."
For the next fifteen minutes, the four men discussed what to do with Jill Carlisle. Vin shared his attempts to contact the father. Medically speaking, she would be ready to be released later that day. Dr. Chang explained that recovering from pneumonia is best done outside the hospital, but would be willing to allow her to stay until Monday to give them more time to find the father. "Should the child be told about her father?" the doctor asked.
Josiah nodded. "The sooner, the better. She is very intelligent and quite mature for her age. She will know something is not right."
"We can do that together," Chris suggested. "But first we need to make decisions about her safety."
The security guard asked, "Who does she need protection from?"
"That there's the million dollar question," Vin mumbled.
"She is in ATF protective custody." Chris ignored the look Vin and Josiah gave each other. "I want one of my men with her at all times. Is that gonna be a problem?"
"Not at all. I'll make sure that everyone is made aware of the situation. We will also want to limit the access to her room."
Dr. Chang added, "I see that specific nurses are assigned to her care. I will also recommend that Dr. Jackson oversee her case when I'm not on duty."
The doctor and the security guard left to talk care of their share of the details. Josiah turned to Chris. "I volunteer to stay for the first shift, but I think we should talk to her about her father together."
Chris agreed and the three men stepped back into the room.
The girl turned to face them. The tears on her face told them she had heard everything they said.
The young nurse who had spoken with Josiah earlier approached the men. "I wanted to come out and tell you that we could hear what you were saying, but she wouldn't let me leave."
Chris wanted to point out in no uncertain terms that a bedridden kid didn't have the strength to keep her from doing anything, but Josiah spoke up instead. "Thank you for staying with her. We'll take it from here."
"What's going on? What happened to my dad?' she cried. She started to cough.
Josiah moved immediately to her side. "Jill, I need you to calm down." He continued to speak evenly to the girl as her tears and coughs slowed down and stopped.
Vin passed a tissue box to Josiah, who held it out to the girl. She grabbed a couple and hid her face behind them. "I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry about," Chris snapped. He softened his next words. "I don't know exactly what is happening, or where your father is. But I will find out."
The girl looked up to the man dressed in black standing at the end of her bed. When others often ran away in fear from this man, she felt secure. "Yes, sir."
"And enough with the sir. You call me Chris, OK?"
Josiah smiled during the exchange. He knew once Chris committed to a cause, nothing would keep him from finishing it.
After explaining how Josiah would be spending the rest of the night with her, the men excused themselves to the hall.
"Protective custody?" Vin mumbled. "Thought only Travis could do that."
Chris replied, "He will . . . in about 8 hours." He left final instructions with a chuckling Josiah and headed out of the hospital with Vin.
"I'm assuming that I can crash at your place tonight?"
"Sure, Cowboy."
On the way to the car, Chris pulled out his cell phone. He hit speed dial #1 and waited for an answer.
"Wilmington."
"Buck, it's Chris."
"Jesus, Chris. Do you know what time . . .?"
"Shut up. I need to talk to the kid now."
"All right, all right. Calm down, you royal pain in . . . "
Chris heard his friend bellow for his roommate. Fifteen seconds later, he heard the phone change hands. "Hello?"
"J.D., I need you to do a search on a Peter Carlisle, a detective for DPD. I want anything and everything you can find in the office by 8 am." The team leader could hear his computer expert pushing away Buck, who was probably trying to listen in.
"OK, Chris. I'll get it done."
"I know you will, son. See you at 8."