ACT I: Part 1
General Hospital, October 31st, 1973
The waiting room seemed to be shrinking in on itself for the seasoned Lieutenant. He ran his hand over his perspiring face and stood up then walked out into the corridor.
"Mike!" an all too familiar, yet comforting voice called out, followed by hurried footsteps leading toward the aging cop.
Mike turned to greet his partner but couldn't work up the energy to speak.
"Healy and Tanner are at your place with forensics. They've got patrol units out canvassing the area but the streets are crawling with kids trick or treating and they're not sure what to look for. Has Jeannie said anything? How is she?" Steve inquired, a little breathlessly.
"I don't know. She's still in the ER. She was unconscious when they brought her in," Mike began but a fiery pain travelled up his throat and became dislodged as he thought back on what the doctor outlined earlier.
"Mike, what is it?" Steve asked, his own voice becoming strained from the look of apprehension written all over his mentor's weathered face.
"They…they're examining her. The doctors suspect she may have been criminally assaulted. Oh God, my little girl! How…how could anyone…" Mike stammered, squeezing his eyes shut and covering them with a trembling hand as he felt the moisture behind them building.
Steve's cursing went unnoticed by the older man as he wheeled around and nervously ran his fingers through his wavy hair. He felt as though a fist had just been driven straight through his chest and could only imagine the anguish that Mike was feeling. He was as close to a father to him as one could get, and Jeannie meant the world to both of them. He knew that if Jeannie had been sexually assaulted, the emotional impact had the potential to tear their lives apart. There was no telling how long or if Jeannie would recover from such an ordeal and knowing Mike the way he knew him, Steve hoped he wouldn't do anything he would later regret. The last thought almost caused him to laugh sardonically, for he didn't know himself what he would do to the perpetrator who hurt Jeannie. Breathing out a heavy sigh, Steve turned back to face Mike but before he could say another word an interruption came in the form of Dr. Moore.
"Stone?" Dr. Moore called out from down the hall way.
Mike wiped his eyes vigorously then looked the physician squarely in the eye.
"You can relax now, both of you. Jeannie will be fine. She sustained a mild concussion and needed a few stitches for a gash to her head but other than being shaken up and sore, she's going to be alright, physically."
"Was she…," Mike began to ask the question he dreaded asking.
Dr. Moore shook his head and smiled reassuringly.
Mike felt compelled to pull the doctor into a hug but refrained and held out his hand instead to thank him.
"Of course we'll be keeping her for a couple of days for observation. I thought you might be interested in this. We found what looks like some residue from cosmetic paint under her nails. They must've got there when she struggled against her attacker." Dr. Moore drew out a small sealed plastic sleeve from his top pocket and handed it to the detective.
"Thanks, Doc. We'll take it to the lab as soon as I see my daughter," Mike said anxiously as he took the sample and after a brief glance, he gave it to his partner.
"She's just regained consciousness and is still pretty groggy but you can both see her for a few minutes," Dr. Moore replied before he led the two men down the corridor.
Mike smiled wanly then nudged his partner, motioning for him to follow the doctor.
Relief replaced the nervousness in Steve's gut as he walked down the corridor beside Mike toward Jeannie's room.
Jeannie threw her arms around her father's neck as he bent down over the bed and held her in a gentle embrace. "You have no idea how worried I've been. And Steve too!" Mike said in a voice thick with emotion.
"Well, you can both stop your worrying now. I just want to go home," Jeannie replied with a grimace.
"Oh no you don't. Doc wants to keep you in for a couple of days. Besides, you'll be safer here while Steve and I find whoever did this to you and get him off the streets!" Mike exclaimed passionately.
A dark cloud passed over Jeannie's face and she suddenly paled as she relieved the nightmare in her mind. "There were two of them, Mike."
"Sweetheart, can you describe them for me?" Mike asked tentatively as he sat on the edge of the bed while Steve pulled out his notebook.
"They were dressed in Halloween costumes. One of them was the Wolf Man. He was about your height," Jeannie inclined her head toward Steve then continued, "The other was maybe a little taller and he was dressed as Frankenstein."
"Do you remember if they said anything to you? Even if you can't remember the words, maybe they had an accent?" Steve asked.
"Um…I can't remember. It all happened so fast!" Jeannie's frustration to recall the details from her hazy memory showed as she brought her hand up and messaged her forehead.
Mike reached out and took her hand in his. "It's alright, Sweetheart. Just take your time. Tell you what, we can come back later when you've had some time to rest and gather your thoughts."
"I'm sorry. I wish I could be of more help."
"You have," Mike asserted then leaned forward and kissed Jeannie on the forehead, before giving her hand a light pat then releasing it and rose to his feet. As much as the cop part of him wished Jeannie could tell him more about the men who attacked her, his fatherly instincts told him not to push it.
"Take care, Jeannie. I'll swing by a little later, okay?" Steve said quietly as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, allowing his fingers to linger by interlacing them with hers, momentarily. With a small smile she nodded then waited until the door swung shut behind the men, before closing her eyes and praying for a dreamless sleep.
Steve knew Mike too well to not notice his mentor was deeply affected by the attack on his daughter and by what could've transpired but thankfully didn't. Almost jogging to keep up with Mike's long and hurried strides, Steve grasped him by the shoulder and they came to a halt in the middle of the corridor. "Hey, slow down, will you? Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine. Come on, let's get that sample to the lab, then we'll hit the streets and…"
"And then, what?"
With a sigh of exasperation, Mike rounded on Steve, "What's the matter with you? Two men just attacked my Jeannie! What do you think I'm going to do? Sit around the office? I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to find them so they can't hurt someone else's daughter!"
"Mike, there could be dozens of kids wearing similar costumes on your street alone. We can't go around arresting all of them. Let's just get to the lab and then we'll go back to your place. Maybe the perps left behind some evidence that could lead us in the right direction. Look, I know you're rattled after what happened, but we need to step back and think things through."
Silence spread into minutes until finally Mike took a deep breath and broke the stillness, "Okay, you're right, Buddy Boy. I just can't help thinking that I could've stopped them, if only I walked through that door a few minutes earlier."
"Maybe it was because you got home when you did that Jeannie escaped the worst of what could've happened."
Swallowing, Mike could only nod before the two men walked in solemn silence toward the exit.