Ed walked into Jules' room and smiled. They had removed the tube and she was breathing on her own. "Hey. You look much better "
Jules wheezed and said, "thanks."
"Come on. You heard what the said. They'll put you back on the ventilator. No talking." Sam admonished and squeezed her hand. He handed her the pen and paper.
Jules looked at him with love and a little annoyance. She wrote, "what's up?"
"Just came to check on you." Ed shrugged.
"Nice try." She pinned him with a 'yeah right' look.
Ed laughed. Can't get anything past her, he thought. "I need to talk to you about the accident. What do you remember?"
"Callie and I were talking. Then I saw someone step off the curb."
"Male? Female? Height? Hair?"
Jules put a finger up while she wrote. She coughed and laid back against the pillows. Shit that hurt. They still had the chest tube in as they said her lungs were still draining. That's why they didn't want her to talk. Save her breath.
"Jules." Sam frowned.
She opened her eyes and shook her head. She pointed to the top of the paper where she had written Yes, No and Ok and put the pen on Ok.
Sam sat back, but he watched her face carefully. He'd broken his ribs a couple times and knew how bad it hurt to breathe.
Jules finished what she was writing then turned the notebook over so Ed could see. "Young girl, maybe teen. Happened fast."
Ed pulled out his PDA, thumbed through it, walked closer and showed Jules the picture of Mitzy Alistair.
"No." Jules pointed. He left swiped and showed her Candace's photo. She narrowed her eyes. "Maybe. It was dark, I barely saw her in time."
Ed nodded. What the hell is going on, he thought. Why would Candace and or Mitzy want to cause Jules to crash? To hurt or kill Callie? Why? He was going to find out. "Thanks Jules. I gotta go."
Sam whispered to Jules, she nodded and he followed Ed out. "What's going on?" Sam said when the door to Jules' room slid closed.
"I'm not sure." Ed filled Sam in on what they knew so far and that Jules had possibly ID'd the person responsible, Candace.
"Why would they want to hurt Jules and Candace?" Sam frowned. He hated that he'd possibly misjudged Callie, but she she still hadn't told them what she knew. "Maybe Jules was just a bystander. She was gunning for Candace." Sam looked at Ed and they both took off running towards Callie's room.
The nurses jumped up when the two men ran past them and followed them into the teenager's room. All four of them were shocked to find the room empty.
Ed put his earpiece back in. "Boss! I'm at the hospital. Callie is gone." He turned to the nurses. "When did she leave?"
Sam pointed to his ear and then Ed. Ed reached in his pockets, pulled out an earpiece and receiver and handed them to Sam. He knew Sam would want to help and had grabbed it.
The nurses looked at each other and shrugged. "I didn't see her leave. It had to be after her mom left about 45 minutes ago." "Me either." The other nurse agreed.
"They have a 45 minute head start on us. That's a big area to cover." Greg said through the earpiece. "We're at Spike's we'll pick you up at the hospital"
"Copy." Ed put a hand to his mouth after he talked.
"What is this all about?" Sam asked.
"There was an incident a couple weeks ago involving a classmate of theirs." Spike said reading off his screen in the SUV. "A kid named James Whaley had been found in the girl's locker room taped naked to a bench with his butt in the air and a," he swallowed, "dildo in his anus. Pictures had been posted to Facebook and the school chat site but were taken down shortly after. What is wrong with these kids?"
He shook his head and continued. "James told the teachers that rescued him it was Candace, Mitzy and her group. Apparently he had turned Mitzy down as her date to the dance last week. And," Spike raised his brows, "it looks like he said Callie had walked in while they were taping him up.
She tried to stop them but Candace threatened her and made her help them. When the principal confronted each of them none of them would talk. Even Callie said she didn't know about it. It was he said/she said so no one was punished." He looked at Greg through the rearview. "Principal didn't mention that."
"No she didn't." Greg said angrily. "We're here Eddie. Sam you coming with us?" He put the phone to his ear and started talking to Winnie.
"Yep." Sam climbed into the back with Spike, Leah gave Ed the front seat and climbed in next to Sam. "Jules said to be careful and make sure Callie is ok."
Everyone nodded. "Ok thanks Winnie." Greg said into his phone and hung up. "Ok. Team Two is standing by at the barn until we get a location." Everyone nodded. They were off duty and therefore not allowed to be armed. This would be a hot call for whoever was on duty.
"Where would they take her?" Sam asked.
"I'm assuming they, Candace and or Mitzy would want to be somewhere private. We questioned them both earlier so they know the cops are looking into the accident. They'd want to silence any witnesses, especially Callie since she knows about the previous incident as well." Spike said looking at a map of the city. "We have to narrow it down."
"Witnesses." Sam said and looked at them in panic. Everyone jumped out of the SUV and ran inside the hospital going straight for the stairs.
##### Jules' room 5 minutes before #####
Jules opened her eyes when she heard the door open. Sam and the nurse had just left. Who would be coming in now? She frowned at the young girl in front of her, holding a scalpel. "Who?" Jules ground out. Then she remembered the photo Ed had shown her. Mitzy.
"Doesn't matter." Mitzy shrugged. "You couldn't help yourself could you? Had to be her. That smart assed bitch. Taking AP classes and thinking she's so smart. I could use a Big Sister." She pointed the knife at her chest. "My home life sucks. But no, it had to be her. She paints like a poet. Did you know?"
Jules shook her head and grabbed the pen and pad. She knew she could use the pen as a weapon if she had to. "Everyone has something about their life they don't like."
Mitzy read it out loud. "Yeah right." She scoffed. "What's so horrible about having a cool job like an SRU officer and dating one of the most gorgeous men I've ever seen? Nothing." She pointed the knife at Jules menacingly. "You're just like her. So high and mighty. Think you're so cool. Well you need to be brought down a peg just like her."
"Sometimes it sucks. Especially when you can't save someone from themselves." Jules turned the pad and looked at her pointedly.
"Aww." Mitzy stuck out her lip. "You think you need to save me? Please. The only person you should be worried about is yourself." She moved closer to Jules's neck with the knife.
"STOP!" Sam ran into the room as soon as the door slid open, Ed Leah, Spike and Greg right behind him. "Don't you touch her!" He let his anger fill the room.
"What's the matter boyfriend? Can't live without her?" Mitzy sat on the bed, the knife at Jules' throat.
"Yeah actually." He looked at Jules, 'don't worry' in his eyes.
"Pathetic." Mitzy laughed. When Sam moved closer she put the knife on Jules' skin.
"Not as much as you." Sam growled when he saw drops of blood fall from Jules' neck.
"Back down Sam." Greg pulled his arm and moved him behind Ed, Leah and Spike who were standing shoulder to shoulder. "Let me talk to her. Ed start moving towards the end of Jules' bed. Try to get close enough so that we can make a move if we have to." Greg whispered. "Leah you're my second." She nodded.
Ed nodded and started moving slowly to his left.
Greg stepped forward and walked to within three feet of Mitzy. Leah had moved along the wall towards the bed and stopped when Mitzy looked at her.
Mitzy's eyes were wild now as she tried to watch all three of them. "All of you stop moving!" She pushed the knife into Jules skin and she hissed. Sam moved forward and then stepped back when Greg put a hand up.
"Mitzy. Look at me." Greg pointed to himself. "What are we doing here? What do you have against Jules?"
"She's just like that bitch."
"Who? Callie?"
"Yes! They both need to learn a lesson."
"What's that?"
"That they are NOT better than me. So cool and smart, dating.." Mitzy wiped her eyes with her free sleeve. "No one should think they're better than anyone else."
"I'm.. not better.. than you." Jules said between breaths. It took too much effort to speak so she wrote. "The only difference between us is that I believe in myself."
Mitzy read it out loud and cried harder, pulling the knife away.
"That's true for everyone. Look at me. I used to be an alcoholic. I lost my wife and son. But I pulled myself together and believed in myself. Now I have my son back and we're stronger than ever. I'm stronger than ever." Greg looked at her with sincerity.
Leah moved the last foot and took the knife from Mitzy and got no resistance. Ed moved forward and pulled Mitzy to a standing position, pulling her hands behind her back.
"I'm, I'm sorry." Mitzy sobbed.
Sam rushed forward and to Jules' side. She smiled at Sam and looked in his worried eyes. "O..k." She reassured him. "Callie?"
Greg moved to in front of Mitzy, meeting her eyes. "Where is Candace?"
Mitzy shook her head. "Private."
"Where?" Greg bent down when her head dropped and kept eye contact with her.
Sam stood and grabbed the front of her shirt. "Where are they Mitzy?" He said angrily. "If something happens to Callie, I'm going to make sure you get charged with accessory to murder." He replaced Greg's face with his rage filled own. "Do you understand?"
Mitzy started to cry again. She hadn't wanted to go this far, but she was so angry. She couldn't spend her life in jail. She couldn't. "Bayside Street warehouse." She looked in Sam's eyes with urgency. "Hurry."