Chapter 31
Cragen stood up. "What's the big problem Jamie?" Something wasn't right, and he could tell by the tone of Jamie's voice.
"Elliot." Jamie answered.
Cragen looked out the window as the rain started to fall. "What's going on?"
//Chung Chung//
Jamie sighed as Elliot sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands.. "Elliot's daughter Kathleen was kidnapped." she replied.
"You've gotta help me." Elliot said as tears appeared in his eyes.
"It's gonna be okay, El." Jamie said. "We'll find her."
Elliot just simply nodded at her.
//Chung Chung//
"Jamie, what can I do from here?" Cragen asked as lightning started a spider affect across the sky, non-stop.
//Chung Chung//
The sound of thunder filled the hospital room. Nicole shot straight up in bed when one shook the room. She knew something was wrong, and that someone she cared about was in danger. Sighing she tried to get up out of bed. Munch was alseep next to her and she tried not to wake him up. At first she was a little wobbly due to the fact she still didn't have all feeling in her legs.
She carefully made her way across the room and braced herself against the windowsill. She looked out at the black storm clouds spreading across the lightning filled sky. Another clap of thunder shook the room a second time and woke Munch out of a restless sleep.
As Nicole looked out the window she saw the tornado touch ground in the distance. "Aww, shit. For fuck sake!" she yelled.
Munch jumped out of bed and ran over to the window. "What is it?" he asked.
Nicole pointed out the window at the tornado. "What else can possibly go wrong?"
//Chung Chung//
Fin sat down next to Elliot on the couch. Jamie was still talking to Cragen on the phone. "He got a note saying that if he wants to see his daughter again he has to bring Nicole to them." Jamie stated.
//Chung Chung//
Cragen was still looking out the window. "So, you think someone involved in all this has Elliot's daughter?" he asked as he saw the tornado in the distance. Another clap of thunder hit and lightning flashed across the sky. "Oh, this is just great."
//Chung Chung//
"It looks that way. Listen, Don, we're gonna need all the help we can get on this." Jamie said glancing at Elliot.
"Okay, I'm still trying to get vice into this. So for now, it's just gonna be you, Fin, Elliot and Liv."
"Believe me, Don, that's all we'll need. I'll keep you up to date."
"Please do." Cragen said and hung up.
"Hey, man, why don't you go home and be with Kathy. She's gonna need you right now." Fin said.
Elliot looked over Fin and shook his head. "No, I have to find Kathleen."
Jamie was pacing back and forth trying to figure out what to do. "Elliot, Fin's right. You should go home. At least until you can approach this with a clear head." Jamie said.
Elliot stood up from the couch and made his way to the door. "Just find her. Please." he said as he walked out into the hallway.
"We will." Jamie said and closed the door behind him. She turned to Fin and sighed. "So much for getting sleep tonight."
"Yeah, we can't afford to waste any time on this."
//Chung Chung//
Nicole was still standing by the window watching the tornado. "What's next the Wicked Witch of the West to show up along with her flying monkeys."
"You really shouldn't be standing by the window." Munch said standing next to her.
She looked at him and smiled. "You're still standing here beside me watching the tornado head across town."
//Chung Chung//
Cragen sighed. Knowning there was a tornado outside he wanted to ensure that Munch and Nicole were okay. He took one last look outside before he called a taxi to take him to the hospital. Surprisingly enough, there was a taxi within ten minutes, and they still ran when a tornado was ripping through the other end of the city. Now Cragen was on his way to the hospital. Cragen climbed into the taxi. "Which way you heading?" The taxi driver asked.
"The hospital. Which happens to be the opposite way of the tornado." Cragen answered.
"Good thing. Otherwise I would be laughing my head off at you if you wanted to go see that thing."
"I've seen enough of them in movies thank you very much."
//Chung Chung//
Jamie walked into the bullpen with Fin when she spotted Elliot talking to Olivia. "Elliot, I thought you were going home." she said as she walked up to him.
"I did. I just got here." Elliot said.
Fin looked and Olivia. "You know about Kathleen?"
"Yeah. We were just talking about it." Olivia replied.
"Okay, we've got three names to work with here." Jamie sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't think they're gonna be much help."
Elliot looked at Jamie. "Look, whatever you got, I want it. All I want is my daughter back home safe."
Fin and Jamie started filling Elliot and Olivia in on what they had found out so far when someone yelled from the corner of the bullpen. "Hey, isn't Munch, Green and the Captain in Dallas?"
"Yeah, what's up?" Jamie asked.
"Holy shit. Come check this out!" A female detective yelled.
Jamie looked at Fin and took off running to the TV. On the TV was CNN with breaking news about a tornado hitting Dallas. "Aw shit." Fin commented.
"Damn it!" Jamie added.
//Chung Chung//
Nicole was still standing at the window with Munch beside her. She turned to Munch. "What else is gonna happen? Cragen's team breaking up over some stupid thing?" Nicole asked.
"I doubt it." Munch replied as he turned to look out the window.
Nicole shook her head and looked out the window just in time to see a cow go flying by mooing. "Holy shit!" Nicole yelled as she fell backwards. Munch went to catch her but lost his balance in the process and fell down with her. Nicole was now lying on her back in excruciating pain. "Owwwww, did I just see what I think I saw?" She asked painfully.
"A flying cow?" Munch asked sitting up.
"Yeah..."
Cragen walked in. "Did I just hear mooing?"
"Flying cow." Nicole and Munch replied as Munch was helping her up.
"When pigs fly." Cragen replied.
Nicole shook her head and looked out the window. "Don't say that Don. I don't need to see a pig flying by."
By this point the tornado had dissipated but there was still funnel clouds forming.
"Any word from Jamie and Fin?" Munch asked as a big clap of thunder shook the room and it went black. But then the back up generator kicked on.
"Yeah, we got a major problem. Elliot's daughter Kathleen was kidnapped." Cragen answered.
Nicole looked at Cragen. "Your joking." She replied as there was a louder clap of thunder that caused everyone to almost fall down. The light was extremely bright and the thunder was deafening. And now the backup generator was shot. Now there was no power. And they were in the dark. "Oh this is just great. No power. What about the patients?"
"This could get interesting." Munch commented.
//Chung Chung//
Jamie was still watching the news coverage in the bullpen. They were currently listening to the reporter. "A tornado has touched down in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, along with several funnel clouds. There's minor and major damage all over the city along with power outages in some areas, including Parkland Hospital."
Jamie turned around and noticed Fin was no longer in the bullpen. "Shit." Jamie said and walked over to her desk.
Olivia was sitting and her desk and looked up at Jamie. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Olivia asked.
"Yeah, sure." Jamie said.
"Are the guys that are after Nicole involved in Kathleen's kidnapping?"
Jamie looked at Olivia. "It looks that way. I just hope we find her before anything happens." Jamie replied and picked up her phone.
Olivia sighed, got up from her desk and left the bullpen.
//Chung Chung//
Fin left the bullpen in search of Elliot. Fin walked into the locker room and found Elliot sitting on a bench. "Yo, how you holding up, man." Fin said walking over to him.
"I'm not, man." Elliot stated.
"Look, Elliot, we'll find her. Don't worry she'll be okay."
Elliot looked up at Fin. "I just can't help but imagine the worst, you know? I've seen too much on the job to think otherwise."
At that, Fin sat down on the bench beside Elliot and place his hand on his shoulder. "I know what you're saying but it's not gonna turn out that way. Believe me, we're gonna get her back safe." Fin said, trying his best to comfort his friend.
Elliot jumped up from the bench and began slamming his fists into the lockers. "Arggghhhh!!!"
Just then Olivia appeared in the doorway and saw Elliot pummeling the lockers. "Hey, El, take it easy." Olivia said and walked over and grabbed his hands.
By this time his knuckles were all bloody and cut up and he just sat down on the bench and started to cry. Olivia sat down beside him and pulled him into a hug.
Fin watched the scene for a minute and then made his way out of the locker room.
//Chung Chung//
Munch was helping the hospital staff with the patients, while Cragen stayed with Nicole. "We have to get the generator fixed or the power back online." the doctor was saying to a maintenance man.
"We're working on it as fast as we can, sir."
"Okay, we're gonna have to move the critical patients to a nearby hospital with power."
Munch followed two nurses down the hallway to help them get the patients ready for transfer.
//Chung Chung//
Cragen and Nicole were looking out the window at the black sky. The lightning was now coming periodically and the thunder was dissipating. "Maybe it's finally over." Nicole said.
"I hope so. We've had enough drama for one day." Cragen sighed.
"Yeah, I know. Hopefully they can get the power back soon. This is way too eerie for my liking."
//Chung Chung//
Jamie was sitting at her desk trying to figure out what the hell had happened over the last few hours. Two guys they had to look up either didn't exist or they were two other people. Than Elliot's daughter Kathleen had been kidnapped. And the worst thing about a kidnapping case was to have no leads whatsoever to go on. Although they did have every available cop out looking for her and circulating her picturing and anything they could think to do at the moment. Jamie was frustrated and the only person she could think of that could help her with this situation was Cragen. Hoping that he was okay and that she could get a hold of him she tried his cell phone.
"Cragen." He answered.
//Chung Chung//
"Don, I need some help." Jamie replied.
Cragen looked at Nicole. She nodded and watched him leave the hospital room. Now she was alone in a dark eerie room.
"What's wrong Jamie. What happened?" Cragen asked as he turned his back to the door into the hospital room.
Jamie sighed. "This just isn't making sense over here. We look at the two guys you want us to and either they don't have a record or they are under other two names. And we still have no leads on Kathleen."
Cragen frowned. "Well, if these guys that are after Nicole are involved, you have to find her soon because these guys mean business." He said as someone in a maintenance uniform walked into Nicole's room behind Cragen.
//Chung Chung//
Nicole was standing by the window watching the storm dissipate into the distance. She never heard the figure enter her room and lock the door. She sighed as she watched out the window. "Thank God, maybe it's all over now." she said to herself.
"It is for you." a male voice said behind her.
Nicole spun around and winced at the pain in ther back and legs. "Who's there?" she asked with a shaky voice.
"You're worst nightmare." the man said as he grabbed her and pulled her over to a nearby chair. "You're gonna wish you never came back here."
The guy pushed Nicole down in the chair and proceeded to tie her up. She tried to fight him off but her legs weren't cooperating with her.
"Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you." The man commented as he smacked Nicole across the face.
Nicole winced at the pain. "What the fuck do you want?"
"You right now." The man answered.
Nicole sighed in frustration. "Okay Mr. Worse Nightmare. Answer my question..." she started but was stopped suddenly when she saw the gleam of a knife blade.
"It's not smart to be ordering me around Ms. Green, or should I say, soon to be Mrs. Munch?" he asked as he layed the blade of the knife against Nicole's throat.
"How do you know that?" Nicole asked.
"I have my sources."
Nicole squinted trying to get a look at her capter's face but it was no use. It was way too dark. "Okay, why don't you just get it over with?"
This threw the man for a loop. "What?"
"Go ahead. If you're gonna kill me, do it already. No sence putting it off any longer."
"Don't tempt me. I swear I'll do it." he said continuing to press the blade against her throat.
//Chung Chung//
Munch was downstairs helping orderlies and nurses load patients into the available buses. "Any word on when the power will be fixed?" Munch asked pushing a stretcher into the back.
"They keep saying anytime now." an orderly replied.
"Yeah, sure, they schlep their asses while these patients are in danger."
A nurse came up behind them with a stretcher containing an elderly patient. "This man needs to go now. Without his oxygen tank he doesn't have much time."
Munch nodded and helped the orderly put the man into the bus.
//Chung Chung//
Back upstairs, Cragen was still on the phone with Jamie and unaware of what was happening in Nicole's room at that moment.
Jamie was explaining to Cragen what they were doing at that moment to find Kathleen. "Don, we've got every available cop out there looking for her, her picture is all over the news and we still don't have a clue on where she could be."
"Jesus! I just pray that she's okay."
"Yeah, me too." Jamie sighed. "On top of that, this replacement of your's is a total prick. I'm telling you, you've gotta get back here soon before everything goes to hell."
Cragen couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Okay, try to keep things in order until I get back. Can you do that?"
//Chung Chung//
"I'll try." Jamie said and looked up from her desk as Elliot and Olivia were walking into the bullpen. "Then again, I might be too late."
"What?"
"Elliot just walked in. His hands are all cut up."
"Oh this is just great."
//Chung Chung//
Nicole looked at her captor. "What are you waiting for. You've already picked me as a target for no reason. Why not just finish the job. Or are you too chicken?"
"You little bitch." The man said and took a swing at her with his knife hitting her in the arm, slicing it down from mid bisep to the ellbow. She let out a yelp.
//Chung Chung//
Cragen paused for a second. "Jamie I gotta go." He said and hung up. He turned to walk into the hospital room and walked right into the door. He found the door handle and found it to be locked. "Nic? Nicole?!" he yelled but there was no answer.
//Chung Chung//
"Don? Don, what's going on?" Jamie asked before she noticed that he had already hung up.
"Is that the Captain?" Elliot asked walking up to Jamie.
Jamie turned to Elliot. "It was but he hung up. What happened to your hands?" she asked.
"Got a little personal a locker."
Jamie nodded. She knew Elliot was frustrated and she prayed that they could bring his daughter back home to him in one piece.
//Chung Chung//
Cragen was now banging on the door. "Nicole? Nic, open the door!" he yelled and someone came down the hall with a flashlight.
"Don, what's going on?" Munch asked stopping beside Cragen
"The door's locked. Something must be wrong."
Munch handed Cragen the flashlight and tried the door handle himself. "Nic? Honey, open the door!"
//Chung Chung//
Nicole was still tied in the chair and had no way to apply pressure to the wound. She was starting to get light headed. "Not a word or I'll slice more than your fucking arm."
"Why don't you just give up? Face it, you've lost."
They heard more banging on the door when suddenly Munch and Cragen came crashing through the door. The man with the knife lunged at Munch and knocked him to the ground. Then he brought the knife up and as he was about to bring it down into Munch's chest Cragen hit the guy in the head with the flashlight.
The guy slumped over Munch and Cragen kicked the knife from the guy's hand. Munch pushed the guy off of himself and ran over to Nicole. He then proceeded to untie her. "It's okay, Nic, you're gonna be okay."
"I will be now that your here." She said as she applied pressure to the wound. "Are you?"
Cragen grabbed the rope and tied up the captor. "Any idea who this guy is?"
Nicole stood up painfully, she looked at the guy while Cragen shone the flashlight on his face. Nicole was taken aback. "If I remember correctly that's D.A. Adam Lange."
Munch helped her stand. He placed his hands on her arms, as soon as he did he pulled one hand away. Looking down at his hand he noticed blood. "Nicole, your bleeding."
"I'll be fine." She replied.
Cragen looked at Nicole. "Are you sure that's who he is?"
"He questioned me in court on multiple occasions. It's hard to forget a face that's right in your own."
Munch sighed. "Great. The filth toll rises. Come on, let's get your arm checked out."
//Chung Chung//
Jamie left the bullpen in search of Fin. As she was making her way down the hall she ran right into another woman and sent them both to the floor. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." Jamie said as she stood up.
"It's okay." the woman said. "Do you know if Captain Cragen is in his office?"
"Uh, no, he's in Dallas at the moment. Can I help you with something?" Jamie asked.
"I'm Monique Jeffries from Vice. ADA Novak asked that I assist Detectives Tutuola and Roenick on a case."
TBC...