Author's notes: Whew! I thought I'd never find the time to get this chapter posted. LOL Luckily I did. As always, thanks to everyone who has taken time to read and/or review. LO:CI and it characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; i'm just borrowing them for a while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read and enjoy. :o)
Tuesday, August 22
Saint Joseph Hospital
Celena Anderson's room, 7:00 p.m
"Detective Eames! Detective Goren!" Celena exclaimed as Bobby and Alex walked into her room. She quickly jumped off the bed and ran to Alex, almost knocking her over as she gave her a hug. "Hi, Celena," Alex said with a smile. "You okay?" Celena looked at her and nodded. Bobby held out a stuffed white rabbit with a pink bow tied around its neck to Celena. "This is for you," he said. (After the 2 detectives had finished their paperwork, Alex had informed Captain Ross that they wanted to go to the hospital to visit the psycho twins' former hostages. He nodded and said, "Eden and Eric Anderson can wait a little while longer.")
Celena's eyes lit up as she took the rabbit from Bobby. She hugged it tightly to her chest, then put her arms around Bobby's waist, squeezing him as tightly as she could. He squeezed her back. She looked up at him and said, "Muchas gracias." He smiled and said, "De nada." Sasha sighed heavily as she patted the bed. "Mamacita, come get back in bed," she said. "You know you're not suppose to be out of bed until tomorrow." Alex and Bobby followed Celena as she went to get into bed.
"Do you have any little girls?" Celena asked Alex. She shook her head. "I have 6 nieces though," she said. Celena asked the same question of Bobby. He smiled as he shook his head. "I have a goddaughter named Courtney. She's 10." "Do you think I can meet them all someday?" "I think that can be arranged," Alex said. Sasha kissed Celena's forehead as she gently pushed on her shoulder to make her lie down. "Get some rest, Celena. I'll be right back." Alex and Bobby told Celena good night before turning around to follow Sasha out of the door.
Sasha leaned against the wall, wiping a couple of tears off her face. "I want to thank you both for everything you've done," she said quietly. "I think I would have lost my mind if anything worse had happened to Celena. It's bad enough DeMarco's gone, but losing him and her…I can't even wrap my mind around it." Bobby squeezed her shoulder and said, "We were just doing our job." She just nodded her head. "I know. I won't ever forget this."
Sasha pointed down the hall and said, "Lynnette and Mr. Albert are down the hall, sharing a room., fourth door on the left. Lynnette put up a fuss until she was in the same room with her daddy." Bobby and Alex both nodded. They shook hands with Sasha, then headed down the hall.
When they entered the room that Sasha had pointed out to them, Alex and Bobby found Lynnette and Albert asleep. Lynnette's husband David was sitting in a chair, holding her hand. He stood up and walked over to the detectives. He shook each of their hands and said in a low voice, "Mama said you guys came in and saved the day. Thank you very much." "We were just doing our job," Alex said. He shook his head. "You did more than that. You saved my family," he said.
Mary Frances came out of the bathroom. She smiled when she saw Bobby and Alex. David gave her a kiss on the cheek before he went to sit back down. "I'll be right back, David," she said quietly as she headed out of the door with Bobby and Alex in tow. "How are Lynnette and Mr. Anderson?" Bobby asked when they were in the hallway. "They're fine," Mary Frances replied. "They removed the bullet from Albert's leg. He should be able to go home in a few days. Lynnette's getting some much needed sleep. I don't think she's slept since DeMarco died."
"What's going to happen to Eden and Eric?" Mary Frances asked. "They'll be charged with kidnapping, trespassing, assault with a deadly weapon for starters," Alex said. Mary Frances nodded and sighed. "Ever since their parents died, it seemed like DeMarco was the only one who could handle them twins, make them behave. And now that he's dead, it's like they've snapped and gone crazy."
Mary Frances sighed again and shook her head. "You'll let us know what we need to do, won't you?" she asked. "We will," Bobby answered. "I need to get back to the rest of my family. Thank you both for saving us." Mary Frances walked away with tears in her eyes before Bobby and Alex had a chance to say anything else to her.
"I feel sorry for her," Alex said as she and Bobby headed down the hall towards the elevators. He nodded. "Me, too. The Wonder Twins…have broken their mother's heart." Alex pressed the down button. "Let's grab a quick bite before we head back to the office," she said. "I think I need to have a full stomach before dealing with the twins." "Sure," Bobby said. "My treat."
Tuesday, August 22
Major Case Squad Room
Interrogation Roon One, 9:29 p.m.
"I'm advising Mr. Anderson to remain silent, Detectives," the female attorney said when Bobby and Alex walked into the room. "He has nothing to say to you." "That's fine, Ms. Reardon," Alex said as she sat down across from her. Bobby placed his binder on the table next to Alex, then leaned with his back against the wall across from Eric, who had a smug look on his face. Bobby narrowed his eyes a little at him, noticing the bandage on Eric's hand.
"Mr. Anderson there can keep his trap shut all he wants," Alex said. "A picture is worth a thousand words." She pulled out the accident scene photos from Angel's accident and the photos of him and the others ditching the Hummer from a folder and spread them out on the table. She also laid a blown up picture of Angel, taken from her driver's license, on the table. Eric stared at a picture of him and Eden in disbelief. He glanced sideways at his attorney, who was looking at the pictures intently.
"What are these photos of?" Ms. Reardon asked. "Oh, didn't your client tell you?" Alex asked innocently. "Along with the charges he's facing for this afternoon's events, he's also going to be charged with the attempted murder of Angelica Pierson-St. John." She held Angel's picture up towards Eric. The smug look he had on his face faded away quickly. "You remember her, don't ya, Eric? You and your merry band of psychos shooting at her and ramming her car with the stolen Hummer you were taking a joyride in?"
Ms. Reardon's mouth fell open as she stared at Eric. "You didn't tell me anything about this!" she snapped. "Shut up and be cool!" Eric hissed. "He probably thought we wouldn't tie him to this accident so quickly. That's why he didn't tell you," Bobby said. He pointed at Eric's bandaged hand. "How did you hurt your hand, Eric?" "None of your fucking business, pig!" Bobby just chuckled. As he stepped towards the table, he said, "Eames, I think Frankie Devil caught Eric here with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar." Bobby quickly yanked the bandage off of Eric's hand, exposing the devil face brand on the back of his hand.
Bobby opened his binder, pulling out the small evidence bag that held the jump drive. He dangled it in Eric's face. "Look at what I have here. The cookie from that cookie jar." Eric's eyes widen in fear as the color drained from his face. Without thinking, he tried to snatch the bag out of Bobby's hand, but Bobby pulled it back out of his reach. "You gotta give that back to Frankie Devil," Eric said. "He'll kill you, anybody who's been near that damn thing."
Bobby placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, locking eyes with Eric. "You should have thought of that BEFORE you stole it from Frank Devlin," Bobby said in a low voice. He continued staring into Eric's eyes for a couple of minutes before he stood up straight, shaking his head. "No, you didn't steal it," Bobby said. "You don't have the…guts nor the balls to do anything like that. No, that's something your twin would do."
"You leave Eden out of this!" Eric hissed. "Leave Eden out of it?!" Alex asked. She picked up a picture of him and Eden. "How in the hell can we leave her out of it when she's got both of you knee deep in this mess?! What happened, Eric? Was your twin about to leave you out in the cold? Making a move up the criminal ladder without you weighing her down?" Eric slapped the table. "You just shut up! Just shut up! I did what I did to protect Eden!"
"What did you do for Eden?" Bobby asked. "He's not going to answer that, Detective Goren!" Ms. Reardon said. She turned to Eric and said, "As your lawyer, I'm strongly advising you to remain SILENT!" Eric looked at Alex and Bobby, his jaw muscles twitching. He scoffed and shrugged his shoulders. "It's doesn't matter anyway," he said. "We're all dead. It's just a matter of time before Frankie Devil gets pissed off enough to start taking heads." A sly smirk lit up Eric's face. "I know he's going to enjoy roasting 2 pigs over an open fire." Ms. Reardon rolled her eyes and sighed.
Bobby sat down across from Eric. "What did you do for Eden?" he asked. Eric laughed. "You sure are persistent, Mr. Detective," he said. He leaned back in the chair, arms folded across his chest. "Brewster had this crazy notion going on in his head that he could get rich just like Frankie Devil. All he needed was a list of Frankie's buyers and sellers. So, he told Eden to steal that damn jump drive from him. She did and gave it to Brewster. I stole it from him and gave it to DeMarco. Me and him were gonna return Frankie Devil's property to him, in exchange for sparing Eden's life and cutting us in on a deal. We was trying to save her life."
"Your brother lost his life instead," Bobby said as he shook his head. "You poor sucker," Alex said. "I'm NOT a sucker," Eric said. "I'm a man who takes care of business and his family." Bobby and Alex both stood up and walked out as an uniformed police officer came into the room to take Eric into custody.
"One twin down, one to go," Captain Ross said as Bobby and Alex entered the observation area. He turned his attention from Eric to Eden. She was sitting in the other interrogation room, looking around. "Has she asked for a lawyer?" Alex asked. Ross shook his head. "She made a phone call to David Brewster. She's quote, unquote very confident that he will show up to get her out." Alex and Bobby looked at each other. "Shall we go and burst her confidence bubble?" Bobby asked. "Of course," Alex replied as she followed her partner out of the door.
Tuesday, August 22
Major Case Squad Room
Interrogation Room Two, 10:35 p.m.
Eden narrowed her eyes as Alex and Bobby walked into the room. "Well, if it isn't Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber," she said as the detectives sat down, Bobby sitting directly across from her. He leaned back in the chair, arms folded across his chest. He just stared at Eden. She copied his pose, a look of disdain on her face. Eden and Bobby stared at each other for a few minutes, not saying a word. Finally, Eden sighed dramatically and said, "I'm not scared of you, you son of a bitch! You're nothing but a punk ass piece of shit!" Alex mentally rolled her eyes. "Here we go," she thought as she prepared herself for what was about to happen.
At first, Bobby snickered, a faint smile on his lips. Then the snicker turned into a full on hearty laugh that ran through his whole body. He shook his index finger at Eden as he continued his unbridled laughing. Without any warning, while he was still laughing, Bobby quickly jumped up out of his seat, knocking the chair over and slamming his hand down hard on the table, the noise echoing throughout the whole room. Eden flinched with fear at Bobby's sudden movements. He leaned forward toward Eden, his nose practically touching hers, his face devoid of expression. In a low menacing voice, Bobby said, "I'm the son of a bitch that's about to ruin your life."
Eden followed Bobby with her eyes as he straightened himself up. He reached into his binder, pulling out a file folder. He pulled 2 pictures out of the folder and slapped them on the table. One of the pictures was a surveillance photo of Frank Devlin, the other was the picture of Eden and Brewster that had been on Brewster's desk. "David Brewster always admired the things that Frank Devlin had: women, power, and wealth. So, he decided that in order to get power and wealth, he would have the woman he stole, that's you, steal something very valuable from Devlin," Bobby said as he pointed at the pictures and started walking around the table.
Bobby stopped behind Eden, leaning down to her left side. "Which you more than willingly did for him," he continued. "After all, you figured that your charming personality and insatiable sex drive would be more than enough to keep Devlin from figuring out that you stole his jump drive from him." He took out the jump drive and dangled it in front of her face. Eden's mouth dropped open. Bobby tossed the evidence bag on the table and then stood up and pulled out crime scene photos of DeMarco and a close up of the devil face brand on his hand. He laid them on the table over Eden's shoulder, tapping at them. Her eyes widen in surprise. She didn't know about the brand. "You forgot that Frank Devlin is not easily played for a fool," Bobby said.
"Frank Devlin thought that your brother DeMarco stole his property, so he had him killed to get it back," Alex said. Bobby leaned down and whispered in Eden's ear, "You and your actions…got your brother killed for nothing. He died in your place." Eden shook her head. "I had nothing to do with Dee's death. Frankie didn't kill him. He was killed by some other drug dealer." Alex just shook her head as Bobby handed her some pictures from the file. "No, see, that's not right, Eden," she said as she laid the pictures from Angel's accident and of Angel on the table. Then she laid the pictures of the stolen Hummer and its occupants down. "Devlin figured that you and Eric were the ones who stole from him," Alex said, "so, he had both of you branded as punishment." She pointed at Eden's bandaged hand with her head.
"But to save your own hide, you told Devlin somebody else had the jump drive," Bobby said. He pointed at Angel's picture. "You figured you'd get an innocent woman killed just so that you could buy some time to find out where DeMarco had hidden the jump drive, which your OWN TWIN stole from Brewster!" Eden shook her head and scowled. "That stupid, stupid motherfucker," she hissed under her breath. Bobby leaned down to Eden's right side. "Do you know WHY Eric took that jump drive from Brewster?" he asked. She looked at him and said with a smirk, "I really don't give a damn!"
Bobby laughed again as he walked back around the table to stand across from Eden. "You should give a damn!" he said. "Eric took that jump drive so that he could give it back to Devlin, so that Devlin wouldn't KILL you for stealing it in the first place. For once in his life, your twin thought about the consequences of taking something from a dangerous man. Of course, it's too late now because all hell is starting to break loose!"
Bobby slapped the crime scene photos of David Brewster and Mack Lowell onto the table. Eden gasped in horror as she stared at the photo of Brewster. Tears started falling from her eyes. For once in her life, Eden actually felt regret and scared of something bad she had done. Bobby grunted as he looked at her. He felt no sympathy for her. When Eden looked up at him, he said, "Karma's a bitch when it's kicking you in the ass, ain't it?"
Wednesday, August 23
Residence of Frank Devlin, 1:47 p.m.
After having arrested and charging Eric and Eden Anderson for kidnapping and attempted murder, among other charges and questioning them on Franco Holland's and Francisco Torres' whereabouts, Bobby and Alex resumed following the leads they had gathered. Bobby looked up from the report he was writing and said to Alex, "Let's go visit the Devil." Alex looked away from the computer screen and nodded.
Vinnie crossed his arms over his chest when he opened the front door of Devlin's home, standing still like a statue when Alex and Bobby showed their badges to him. "Mr. Devlin ain't got time to speak with no fucking cops," he said in a deadpan voice. "Perhaps Mr. Devlin would like to make some time for us down at the police station," Alex said. "We'd be more than happy to oblige him while taking him away in a pair of handcuffs."
"Let them in, Vinnie," Frank Devlin said from inside. Vinnie sighed as he stood aside to let the detectives in. "You'll have to forgive Vinnie and his manners," Devlin said after he took a puff of his cigar. "He's just doing what I pay him very handsomely to do." He looked at Alex with a mischievous glint in his eye as she and Bobby approached him. Alex rolled her eyes. "What can I do for you, Detective…?" "Eames," she replied. "This is my partner, Detective Goren."
Devlin puffed on his cigar again. He looked Bobby up and down through the smoke, trying to size him up. "You know if you ever need a better paying job, Detective Goren, you can come work for me," he said. "I could use a guy of your size and stature to keep the wolves at bay." Bobby smirked. "I'll keep that in mind the next time I go job hunting," he said. Devlin shrugged as he started walking towards the living room.
"Mr. Devlin, we're investigating the murder of your lawyer, David Brewster, and one of his associates, Mack Lowell," Alex said. "Do you mind telling us where you were Monday night around 11:30?" Devlin stopped and stood in the middle of the floor. "I was on my way out to have dinner with a lady friend of mine," he replied. His eyes followed Bobby, who was going around the room touching and picking up things.
Alex said, "Don't mind my partner, Mr. Devlin. He's a little A.D.D. We'd like to have the name of your lady friend so that we check out your alibi." Devlin chuckled as he shook his head. "I'll give you the name of the restaurant we went to, but not her name. She's a married woman," he said. "I won't put her in the middle of this…unpleasant situation." "Things will go a lot more smoother for you, Mr. Devlin, if you'd cooperate with us." "Sorry, Detective Eames. I'm not giving you her name."
"You don't seem too upset by Mr. Brewster's death," Bobby said. "Why is that?" Devlin turned his head to look at Bobby. "I've always known it would be a matter of time before Davey got caught up something that would cost him his life." A contemplative look crossed Bobby's face as he walked to stand next to the coffee table that had a laptop sitting on it. "Hmm. So, you wouldn't be bothered by the fact that we found your fingerprints at the crime scene?" he asked. Devlin sighed heavily. "Well, of course you'd find my fingerprints at his office. He was my lawyer after all."
"How do you know we're talking about Brewster's office?" Alex asked. "Contrary to what you might think of me, Detective," Devlin said, "I can read a newspaper or a book without having pictures in it." Bobby said, "Check this out, Eames." He swooped the laptop off of the coffee table, flipping it over and over as if he was admiring it. "Mr. Devlin has the latest laptop like me. It even has a place where you can insert a jump drive." He pointed to one of the USB ports in the back.
Devlin quickly walked over to where Bobby was standing and tried to take the laptop out of his hands, but he held onto it tightly. Devlin and Bobby got into a mini tug of war match. "You don't have a jump drive in here. Are you…missing a jump drive, Mr. Devlin?" Frank's nostrils flared at the words 'jump drive.' "No, I'm not missing a jump drive," he hissed through his teeth. "But I'd appreciate you letting go of this expensive piece of technology, you jackass!" He and Bobby continued their little tug of war game with the laptop for a few more seconds before Bobby let go unexpectedly, causing Devlin to almost lose his balance and fall down.
Bobby walked to stand next to Alex, who had covered her mouth to keep from laughing. "Thank you for talking to us, Mr. Devlin," she said. "We'll be back to talk to you again soon. We'll let ourselves out." Devlin glared at the detectives as they walked away from him. As they were walking to their SUV, Alex looked up at Bobby, shaking her head. "If he had fell, you would have been in trouble," she said. He shrugged. "What else is new?" he asked. "Well, what did you learn from that?" "His nostrils flared when I said 'jump drive.' I just learned that the Devil is pissed off." "Yeah, he is. You've got to learn not to play with fire."
Wednesday, August 23
Bobby's Apartment, 10:00 p.m.
Bobby sighed heavily as he walked towards his apartment. He had barely slept there for the past couple of days. Captain Ross finally told him and Alex both to go home and get some rest. He decided that he would pick up a fresh change of clothes and go sit at the hospital with Angel. He knew Janelle and Drew would already be there. When he walked in, Rob was sitting on one end of the couch. Lizette, Rob's ex-wife, was sitting on the other end of the couch, her arms wrapped around Courtney, who was crying.
"Uncle Bobby!" Courtney exclaimed. She jumped off the couch and ran to Bobby, throwing her arms around his waist. He put his arms around her. "What's wrong, Courtney?" he asked. He looked at Rob and Lizette for answers, but they shook their heads. "What's wrong, sweetheart? Talk to me." Courtney's crying subsided a little as she looked up at her godfather. "Daddy says that Auntie Angel in the hospital, but we can't see her! Why, Uncle Bobby?! Is she dying? I want to see her!"
"Oh, sweetie," Bobby muttered as he bent down to pick her up. Courtney wrapped her arms and legs around him as she started crying again. He looked at her parents and silently mouthed "I've got this." He squeezed her and rubbed her back as he walked off to the spare bedroom. He kissed her forehead as he set her down on the bed. He sat down next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. Bobby reached into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief. He handed it to Courtney.
Courtney looked at Bobby, sniffing. "Where's Auntie Angel, Uncle Bobby? Why is she in the hospital? Why can't I go see her? Is it because I'm too little?" He smiled as he squeezed her shoulders. "Your aunt Angel is…is in the hospital because some very bad people hurt her," he said softly. Courtney opened her mouth to say something, but Bobby laid his index finger on her lips. "No, she's not dying. No one's allowed to see her because she's being protected. I'm trying to keep the bad people from hurting her again. I know she'd love to see you, but she can't have any visitors until me and Alex catch these people."
"When are you going to catch these bad people, Uncle Bobby?" Courtney asked. "Auntie Angel is probably lonely because she can't see anybody." "I'm actually going to go see her tonight after I pack a few things," he said. "Please, Uncle Bobby. Take me with you. I'll be real quiet and real careful." She looked up at him with the biggest pair of doe eyes he had ever seen. Bobby sighed as he shook his head, putting his other arm her and giving her a squeeze. He laid his cheek on top of her head. "Sweetheart, I would take you with me in a heartbeat if I could, but I can't. If the bad people come back, it would break my heart knowing that 2 of my favorite girls were in danger."
Bobby pulled back and said, "Courtney, stand up and look at me." She sighed as she got off the bed and stood in front of him. She looked down at the ground. He softly chuckled as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Please, look at me, Pussy Cat," he said. A little smile spread on her lips as she lifted her head at the nickname Rob called her sometimes. Bobby smiled and squeezed her shoulders. "When everything is over and Angel is feeling up to it, you can come and spend a weekend with us. The 3 of us will hang out together," he said. Courtney looked at him for a long time. "You promise?" she asked. Bobby crossed his heart with an index finger. "I promise."
Courtney flashed Bobby a big smile before she went to crawl in his lap. He laughed lightly as he wrapped his arms around her, rocking his body back and forth slowly. He hadn't rocked her to sleep since she was 5. "Sing the song, Uncle Bobby." He gave her a squeeze and said, "How about I hum the song?" "Okay." Bobby softly hummed "Hush Little Baby." Within a few minutes, Courtney was fast asleep.
Bobby stood up and carefully laid Courtney down on the bed. He kissed her on the temple before he headed out to the living room. "She's asleep," he said. Lizette got up and gave him a hug. "I should have known that if Rob or I couldn't console her, Uncle Bobby could. You still got it," she said. "It…it was nothing," Bobby said with a shrug. "It's just good practice for when he and Angel have children of their own," Rob said with a smile. Bobby rolled his eyes while Lizette went to sit down.
"I'm going to the hospital to stay with Angel for a while," Bobby said. "You need us to do anything?" Lizette asked. He shook his head. Then he let out a heavy sigh and said, "I'm going to pack some things and then head to the hospital. Lizette, you and Courtney are welcome to stay here as long as you like." Lizette smiled. "Thank you, Bobby. I hope Angel is okay. Rob showed me some footage from your birthday party. She's very beautiful. I know she's made quite an impression on Courtney." Bobby smiled and nodded his head before turning around and walking out of the living room.
"You think we should go with him?" Lizette asked Rob. He shook his head. "I think Bobby needs to spend some time alone with Angel right now. He hasn't been at the hospital since the accident. He needs to get his head on straight and his thoughts and emotions in check." "Why do you say that?" Rob inhaled and exhaled deeply before saying, "I get the feeling that if he and Alex don't catch these bad guys soon, Bobby may do something foolish to keep Angel alive."
Thursday, August 24
Hudson Medical Center
Angel's room, 12:15 a.m.
"Anything to report, Officer Darren?" Bobby asked the uniformed police officer that was sitting outside of Angel's room. "Nothing unusual, Detective," he said. "The Spencers have been here since 9:00 p.m. Dr. Morton and one of the nurses came in to check on your wife. They left about 20 minutes ago." Bobby nodded. "I'll stay here. Why don't you take a break? Get something to eat?" Officer Darren smiled and said, "Thanks, Detective Goren. I'll stick my head inside when I get back."
Bobby shook his head as he watched Officer Darren go down the hall to the elevators. Ever since officers had been assigned to protect Angel, they all assumed that she was his wife because of the fake name she had been given. He didn't bother to correct them. "What's the point? They wouldn't believe me anyway," he thought as he opened the door to Angel's room.
Bobby walked in, surveying the room. The only light on was the one over Angel's bed. He quietly closed the door behind him, trying not to disturb Janelle and Drew, who were asleep in a spooning position on a roll away bed. Bobby hung his suit carrier on the door hanger that was attached to the bathroom door and placed his duffel bag in a chair. He picked up another chair and placed it by Angel's bedside. "Hey, Beautiful," he said quietly as he sat down.
Bobby took Angel's hand in his bandaged hand and squeezed. He half heartedly expected her to squeeze back, but she didn't. He softly stroked her hair as he looked at her. "I'm sorry I haven't been here lately," he whispered. "I've been chasing bad guys. Alex and I caught the Wonder Twins. Now we just need to catch the rest of the bad guys so that you'll be safe." No answer. He sighed heavily. "Janelle called me today. She said you had a big day today. That you got a sponge bath, your hair combed and that she put some shorts and socks on you."
Still no answer. Bobby let go of Angel's hand and placed it on her stomach. "I…I…I want you to know something," he said. He stared at his hand on her stomach. "If you…you're not pregnant this time around, maybe we c-c-could try again if you want to." He turned to look at her face. "Am I wrong for wanting there to be a…a life inside you now? For wanting to have a family with you even though we haven't even talked about that or getting married yet?" He searched Angel's face for a reaction, but didn't see anything.
Bobby sighed heavily as he stood up, kissed Angel's forehead before laying his forehead against hers. "You don't have to say anything. I know I'm wrong. I shouldn't assume you want the same thing. I'm sorry." He kissed her forehead again, then picked up the chair and placed it against the wall. He sat down in the reclining lounge chair that was placed sideways against the wall. He sat back in the chair, leaning his head against the wall as he looked at Angel. "I'm right here, Angel," he said quietly. "I'm not going anywhere." A small smile crossed his lips as he continued to watch over his Angel.
Thursday, August 24
Hudson Medical Center
Angel's room, 3:45 a.m.
Angel slowly opened her eyes. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the light that was above her. "Where am I?" she thought to herself. She moved her hand to touch the bandage that was on her forehead. "Oh, okay. What's up the bandage on my head?" She lowered her hand to look at her surroundings. Angel slowly raised herself up, grimacing at the pain that went through her head. "I'm in the hospital because I hit my head on a sink." Angel continuing looking around. To one side of her, she saw Janelle and Drew sleeping on the roll away bed. Tears formed in her eyes as she covered her mouth with both hands and began rocking back and forth. "They're safe! They're safe! Thank you, Lord, for their safety," she screamed in her mind.
Angel continued rocking back and forth with her mouth covered and crying silently. She glanced down at the plastic medical i.d. bracelet she was wearing. She moved her hand away from her mouth to look at it. "Laurel Goren? That's not my name. Why do I have this fake name?" Then it finally dawned on her. "Idiot! It's for protection." "Oh," she said softly out loud. Angel looked to her other side and saw Bobby sleeping in the reclining lounge chair. He had the one arm with the bandaged hand over his head; the other arm laid across his belly.
"Bobby's hurt!" Angel thought. "How did he get hurt?!" She stared at him for a few minutes, noticing the troubled look on his face. "He looks unhappy, troubled. There must be some trouble coming." Angel took a deep breath to compose herself. She threw back the covers she had been laying under. She moved her legs to place her feet on the floor. Although, she knew she'd regret it, Angel grabbed a hold of the I.V. pole with both hands, pulling herself off of the bed. She held onto it for dear life as she tried to get steady on her feet. "Gotta know why he's hurt."
Taking very slow, deliberate steps with the aid of the I.V, pole, Angel made it over to Bobby. She quietly started crying again as she lightly ran her fingers across his forehead, holding onto the pole with the other hand. She hummed a soft and soothing tune as she tried to make whatever was bothering Bobby go away. He frowned as he opened his eyes. Bobby gasped a little at seeing Angel standing over him.
"How did you hurt your hand?" Angel asked in a raspy voice. She backed up a tiny bit as Bobby got up. He grasped her lightly by the shoulders. "You should be in bed," he said softly. She held onto the I.V. pole with both hands and shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. "How did you hurt your hand?" she quietly pleaded. "I…I…smashed a mirror with my fist," Bobby answered. She pointed a finger at him. "There's trouble coming. I saw it in your face when you were asleep."
Bobby carefully pried Angel's hands off the pole. He helped her put her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her as tightly as he could without causing her any pain. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling good about holding Angel in his arms again. "No se preocupe, querida," he said softly. "Whatever trouble is coming, I swear I will protect you with my very life."