Chapter 1
"We have two little ones over here in this room that just came in," the lady at the adoption agency said.
The man she was talking to nodded and followed her. He was looking forward to getting a child.
"There parents were having a night out by themselves and got killed in a terrible car crash on the way home. They don't have any other family they can stay with."
"The older one never wants to leave her sister alone. It's so cute."
She led the man into a room full of kids. There was a lady in one corner holding an infant, only about a couple months old, and a 1 1/2 old girl standing next to them.
"There they are over there," the lady told him.
He walked over.
"Hi. What's your name?"
The one year old girl just stared at him bewildered.
"Her name is Jennifer and this is her little sister Christina. Poor thing will never know her parents, and this is her."
"You've seen a lot of kids today. Have you decided which ones you would like to adopt?"
"Yes. I would like to adopt these two," he responded gently.
"Ok. I'll go get the paper work."
She left leaving the man to get to know the two kids.
"I hear this is your sister," he stated to the older child who cowered behind the lady holding Christina.
He smiled.
The older child nodded.
"She is really smart for her age," the lady holding the infant replied. "She's shy though."
"May I?" the man asked motioning to hold the youngest.
The lady carefully handed the baby over to him.
Jennifer started to whimper and tear up.
"He's going to adopt both of you," the lady comforted.
She calmed down and smiled.
By the end of the day, he was able to take them home and let them sleep there for the first time.
Chapter 2
Eric is in his early 20s
Jennifer "Jen" {Christi calls her Jenny} is 20 and Christina "Christi" is now 19. Both girls are going to UM to be CSI's. Their dad is very proud of them both. They got in UM by scholarships. After the girls get out of school they head over to the lab and just hang out there until their dad's shift ends.
~Lab~
Christi and Jen are in the break room doing their
biology homework. Christi and Jen are both sophomores at UM. Christi
skipped a grade.
"What did you get for number 6?"
Christi asked about ready to bash her head in with her book.
"I
got C. What did you get?"
"A."
"Who's
right?" Jen asked.
Meanwhile they didn't notice that Eric
came in and was standing right behind Christi reading over her
shoulder.
"Jen is." Eric said.
When he said that both
girls jumped out of their skins.
"Jez! Eric! Don't do that!"
Christi and Jen said at the same time.
"Sorry! I had to do
it." Eric said giving Christi a quick kiss to he lips.
They
had been dating for a while. Right under their dad's nose.
"You
two better careful! One of these days dad is going to walk in and
catch you two!"
"She's right!" their dad Horatio
Caine said standing the door way of the break room.
"Hi
daddy!" Christi said giving a Jen a look as to say 'Thanks for
the heads up!'
"Hey H. I just came in here to get a soda
and...." he got cut off.
"I know I saw it! Just take
care of her Eric and if you hurt her you're a dead man!"
"Got
it H!" Eric said.
"Daddy be nice!" Christi said
giggling Eric started to tickle her sides.
"I'm just looking
out for you sweetheart!" H said grabbing himself a cup of
coffee.
"I know." Christi said as Eric pulled her into
his lap as she continued working on her biology homework.
Chapter 3
"Hey, Jenny," called Christi trying to catch up in the crowded university hallway. "I got an invite to a party from Mr. McGee that he's putting on at his house. He said you can come too if you wanted."
"I hear he puts on some really good parties," Jennifer replied taking the invite from Christi and looking at it. "This is Friday right?"
"Yeah. I'm so excited!" Christi let out a squeal.
"We need to figure out what to wear. We can't go looking like this."
"You're telling me that?"
FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE PARTY
"This is going to be SOOOOOO much fun," Christi giggled as she and Jennifer walked up to the open front door.
"The two girls I've been waiting for," Mr. McGee exclaimed walking out of the already bustling house. People were dancing, talking, chasing each other, and drinking punch while sounds of people diving into a pool out back and shouting filled the air.
"You've got an amazing house, Mr. McGee," Jennifer stated admiringly as she looked at the house behind him.
"Thank you. Come on in. I'll show you two around."
After about a 5 minute tour of the house, Christi and Jennifer went and mingled with people they knew. They had so much fun that they ended staying another two hours longer than the two original hours that they intended on being there.
Chapter 4
"That was a great party," exclaimed Christi as she flopped down on the couch. They were the only two guests left now that the party was over.
"Hell yea! Jen said as both girls laughed. "Hey I'll be right back. I brought something I was wanting to show Mr. McGee. It's out in the car."
"Ok."
Meanwhile inside Mr. McGee has grabbed Christi and dragged her into a room. What are you doing! Let me go," she screamed.
Jen heard her sister's screams and ran back to the front door but it was locked. She tried all the doors and windows she could but couldn't get access. So she decides to call their dad and Eric. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew they could help. Then she called Miguel Soto. He was able to pick locks left and right and she knew he would be able to get her inside the house.
Inside the house on the other hand, Mr. McGee had managed to cuff Christi to the bed despite her fighting efforts.
"JEN! HELP!" came Christi's terrified screams that were blood chilling.
"I'm trying," Jen called back not sure if she could be heard.
Just then Miguel showed up, along with Horatio and Eric. Where is she?" Eric asked panicked.
"Inside," Jen tells them, panic written all over her face. Miguel grabbed his supplies and got to work
"Damn! This is a good lock! I can't get it! It's like a dead bolt or something!" Miguel said.
"JEN! PLEASE HELP! PLEASE!" Christi's sobs came as they heard a gun shot. Then it went silent.
Horatio shot a window nearest to the door out and climbed inside. Everyone else followed.
"Jen stay outside!" H said slowly going over to the stairs.
"Why? She's my sister!"
"Jen I know. But she might be hurt and I don't want you getting hurt now stay!" H said going into father mode. Jen folder her arms across her chest and pouted. She had always been determined yet a bit sensitive to when she got yelled at in a situation like this. She was only trying to help and she was getting pushed away. Another gun shot rang out startling Jennifer. Miguel grabbed her and held her close as she nearly fell over. The two of them ran out of the house.
Chapter 5
Jen panicked when she heard sirens coming toward their way. She didn't know what was going on. All she knew was that she wanted to know if her sister was alive or not. Something did not feel right. They heard the door unlocking and they saw it open for the EMT's. It was Eric who opened the door. He motions for them to follow him. Jen went to follow but Eric stopped her. She saw Horatio come out next with Christi. She was bleeding so bad! Mr. McGee had shot her in the abs! Jen paled and got tears in her eyes. Then she saw Eric dragging Mr. McGee out. He just got grazed in the arm. She saw the look on his face. It said he was pissed. But his eyes told a different story.
"You can't arrest me for anything! You have nothing against me," he said.
"You shot that young girl. And if she doesn't live we're getting you for murder!" Eric said pissed off. He looked up as the ambulance doors were shut and as they sped off to the closest hospital.
Jen looked at her father and asked, "Is she going to be okay?" as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I don't know." Jen starts crying softly and leaned against him. H pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head and rested his chin there as tears rolled down his face as well. Sure they weren't really his girls but he raised them as his own and he loves them like his own.
AT THE HOSPITAL
"Who is here for Christina Delko," asked a doctor coming into the room.
"We are!" Jen said grabbing their dad's hand and squeezing it.
"Christina is out of surgery now," continued the doctor. "We have her in a medically induced coma for now. She lost a lot of blood. We almost lost her once. There is a 50 percent chance she could die. You're welcomed to go see her once she gets out of recovery." Jen turned into Horatio and cried. After another 1.5 hours of waiting they were finally able to see her.
When they walked into her room they were a bit surprised at just how bad she looked. Horatio did expect her to look a bit pale, but this pale. Jen was just plane shocked. She didn't even remember Marisol looking this bad when she had gotten shot. Jen grabbed her dad's hand and kept her grip. She was scared or losing her sister. They were the best of friends. She felt someone else there. She turned and saw Eric. He had tears rolling down his face. She let go of her dad and went over to Eric and hugged him. He hugged her back. What the doctor's forgot to tell Jen and H is that she was pregnant but when she got shot she lost the baby.
Once Jen was able to compose herself, she went out and called Miguel to tell him what was happening. When she told him he dropped the phone and she heard him scream. After a few moments, Miguel managed to compose himself enough to say, "Hey Jen. I ran our DNA samples. It's like you figured. You, Christi, and I are all siblings."
"I knew it! All three of us are so much alike!" Jen said. That was the only good new she had heard all night.
"Unfortunately," continued Miguel. "So is Mr. McGee. I managed to get a sample of his DNA, don't ask how, and he's our uncle!"
"WHAT!" Jen nearly screamed. "Oh no. He can't be."
"Jen he is. What I don't know is if he was Dad's or Mom's sibling." Miguel said as tears rolled down his face.
Jen kicked the wall a couple of times. "Miguel, get down here. There's a 50/50 chance that she might and might not make it." Jen said leaning her head against the wall.
"You're kidding me?"
"I wish I was, Miguel, but I'm not.
"Alright. I'll get down there."
A few minutes later Miguel was there. He and Jen hugged and went to Christi's room.
9PM THAT NIGHT
"You need to go home. You have classes tomorrow," Miguel reminded looking tired himself.
"No. I'm not leaving her."
"I'll be with her," reminded Horatio.
"But.........." Jen tried to say.
"No buts. Go home and get some sleep." H said sternly. Jen reluctantly obeyed.
"H. I need to tell you something." Eric said just looking at Christi. She looked so fragile. She looked like a porcelain doll.
"What is It Eric?"
Eric runs his hand though his hair before saying, "She was about 3 months pregnant. H. But she lost the baby. Her doctor's told me."
Horatio looked down at Christi and nodded. This whole situation was reminding him of Marisol constantly.
3:30 THAT NIGHT
In the dead silence of night Richard McGee snuck up to the Caine household. He picks up a rock and throws it though Jen's bedroom window. It woke her up and she looked around. She saw the rock and the broken glass. She grabbed her cell and tried to text her dad but it didn't go through. Next thing she knew, he was climbing through the window for her. Jen went to scream but he had already covered he mouth and nose with a chloroform filled rag and she knocked her out.
By the time she woke up, the sun had already come up. Her head was throbbing in pain and she had no idea where she was. She went to scream but couldn't. He had taped her mouth shut and tied feet together and her hands behind her back with rope. Jen tried to pull her hands free for over an hour until her wrists became raw and started to bleed.
Richard comes into the room on the phone where he's holding Jen and rips the tape off of her mouth. She screams and hears H start yelling. CRACK! Jen screamed in pain again.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO HER?!" H demanded.
"Just a little whip action. That's only if you don't cooperate. Every time you don't, she gets more and more of it and it gets worse and worse." By this point, Richard was on the same level as his victim.
"Touch her and you're going to jail even longer!" H said getting pissed off.
"Oh really? You sound so convincing." With that he shoot at Horatio with a gun and made an escape with Jen.
"Let me go! I want to see my sister! I want my dad!" Jen said pissed off.
"Shut up." He slapped her across the face and left the room.
AT THE HOSPITAL
Christi's heart machine flat lined. "I need a doctor in here," yelled Eric out the open door. A doctor and three nurses came running in with some paddles.
"Clear," the doctor called. THUNK. Nothing. "Next frequency up."
"Sir, you're going to need to come out here," a nurse ordered Eric as she gently pushed him out of the room against his will.
"That's my girlfriend. Is she going to be alright?" he didn't get an answer though.
Chapter 6
"Eric. What's going on," Horatio asked standing behind him in his famous sideways stance, hands on his hips and a concerned look on his face.
"Christi just flat lined," Eric replied panicked.
"Doctor. Do you want to call it?" a nurse asked.
"Once more," he commanded. "Clear!" Nothing. Her doctor looked over at Eric and H and said, "Let's try one last thing." A nurse handed him an adrelen shot. The doctor injected it into the IV. BEEPBEEPBEEP! BEEP! Eric sighed a sigh of relief
"We've got a pulse," called one of the nurses.
Eric busted in and a nurse grabbed him and stopped him. "We can't have you in here right now sir. Please wait outside."
"I want to see my girlfriend right now!" Eric said trying to go over to her.
"We can't allow that right now. We need to stabilize her."
"Christina," Eric shouted over to her. No response.
"Damn it!" Eric said under his breath.
"They know what they are doing Eric. They won't let her die if they can help it," Horatio reassured.
Eric just stared through the glass. "I know H. But that's what they said last time with Mari. I.....oh I don't know!" Eric said. Horatio looked at the floor remembering what happened to Marisol.
Horatio sighed and said, "Eric, Jen is missing. The guy who put Christi here has her. And if I don't corporate with him he's going to beat her and every time it's going to get worse and worse."
"WHAT," Eric almost screams. "Where did he take her?"
"I don't know Eric."
"Damn. Are you guys getting close to finding her? I know when Christi's stable and if she's awakes up, she's going to want to see her."
"We're working on it. Right now, you let the rest of us deal with finding her and you stay here with Christi.
Eric nodded and Horaito left. Eric stood there and watched as they worked to stabilize her. He started to pace in the hallway. People were staring but he didn't care. He just wanted to back at Christi's side.
"Mr. Delko?" a nurse said.
"Yea!" Eric said as he stopped midstride and turned and looked at the nurse.
"We did manage to stabilize her, but we aren't going to allow visitors for awhile just to be sure she'll won't do that again."
"Please, just let me see her for five minutes, please!" Eric begged with tears falling from his eyes.
"I'm sorry sir, but you can't." She walked off. Eric left and went to the closest gym. He had his work out clothes in his hummer. He found a gym and he changed and went over to the punching bag and started to beat the shit out of it. Memories of Marisol from their childhood flooded his mind.
He stopped to catch his breath and he also felt like he was being watched. He turned around and saw Tim Speedle standing there grinning at him. Tim walked over and said "You look like you've had a rough day."
Eric just snorted. "The hell I have! This whole day is a total wreak!" Eric said as he went back to beating the shit out of the punching bag. "There's nothing to talk about," retorted Eric.
"You know I'll find out somehow sooner or later."
Eric stopped punching and looked at him.
"So are you going to talk or wear your self down to point of exhaustion?" Tim asked.
"Christi is in the hospital and almost died multiple times, Jen is missing, and I can't do anything about it," he spat.
"Eric, instead of being here wearing yourself out you should be with her! And let the rest of us worry about Jen alright?"
"I can't be with Christi alright? The doctors won't let me into her room!"
"You have the brass pass! They can't deny you if you flash your badge!"
"You have to have a good reason to flash that. Otherwise you get it taken away."
"Gez Delko! You go by the book! Take a risk!" Speed said.
"Look. I don't want to lose my job, ok?"
"Whatever Delko. You know if you lose her you'll regret not flashing it. I have to get back to the lab. See ya."
"Later." Eric went back to punching the bag in front of him.
Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Christi has woken up from her medically induced coma and is calling for Eric. "Where is he? I wanna see him."
"Miss. Caine, you need to rest. You can't have any visitors' right now," a nurse told her.
"I wanna see him now! I won't rest until I see him again!"
"Miss. Caine please calm down. I'll see what I can do okay?"
Christi quieted down and stared up at her angrily. The nurse sighed and finished looking at her chart and left to see what she can do about getting Eric there.
Chapter 7
Tim is in the trace lab not being able to concentrate on what he's doing. He's fantasizing on what it would be like if he and Jen got together.
"Hey! Tim," Jen calls for the fourth time since she walked in. She was about ready to punch him just for not paying any attention.
Just as Tim was going to say something, BOOM! Both of them were thrown from the lab. Both were disoriented for a moment. When they looked up, the overhead sprinklers were on and where they were standing seconds before was now up in smoke. People started scrambling to get out of the building. Before anyone knew it, bombs were systematically going off in other parts of the building.
"Where's the elevator," coughed Jen as Speed led her down the smoke filled hall.
"This way."
BOOM! went a bomb three feet behind them. Speed fell on top of Jen and the world around them went dark.
Tim snaps out of his day dream and gets back to work. Why was he daydreaming that? He put his headphones on and starts running samples. He felt his cell vibrate in his pocket and took it out. He looked at the screen and it was a text from Jen. Tim flips open his cell and opens the text.
TEXT: Help! Been kiddnapped. Don't know location. It's Mr. McGee!
Tim runs over to the A/V lab and goes to trace Jen's cell. "Run Jen's cell Cooper!"
"Why?"
"Just do it," Tim commanded.
"Fine," Cooper said not wanting to see Tim pissed off.
A few minutes later Jen's cell location came up. It was in the warehouse district. Speed ran out of the lab toward the elevator, nearly running into Horatio along the way who in turn seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.
"Where are you headed off to," Horatio questioned Speed as they both got on.
"Jen's been kidnapped. I know where she is," Speed told him. H nods and calls for SWAT after Tim gave him the location of Jen.
AT THE WAREHOUSE
"Got her phone tapped, sir," stated a SWAT negotiator to Horatio.
"Call it. Now!" H commanded.
Screams could be heard inside. The negotiator sent in a message. Nobody was sure that the message would be received in time. Everyone was wondering if they would have to barge inside with guns drawn.
"Got him on the phone sir!" the SWAT negotiator said. The screaming continued.
"He isn't going to make a deal."
"Give me that phone!" H said. "This is Horatio Caine from MDPD crime lab. Come out with your hands up and the hostage and nobody gets hurt."
"Oh really and what are you going to do about it," Richard questioned slyly as he rubbed his finger across his victims face. She started whimpering.
"Put her on the phone now!" H said before adding, "You'll see if you don't."
Richard debated this idea for a moment and decided out of the goodness of his hardened heart to let them talk. "You try to tell him anything funny girlie, and I will make you wish you were never born." His face was in such a rotten sneer, that Jen almost didn't take the phone out of petrifying fear.
"H-hello," she managed to stutter when she took the phone.
"Are you alright," questioned Horatio.
"Uh huh." All she could do other than answer simple yes or no questions was stare at the guy she once thought to be a nice and an all around cool and relatable teacher. This just wasn't right. It wasn't right at all.
"We are all outside, ok? We need you to try and convince him to try and bring you out here."
"I can't," she whispered back. Her throat felt like it was closing up. What did he ever want from her and Christi?
"I'm going to send in SWAT if I can't get him to let you go, ok?"
Richard swiped the phone away from Jen causing her to jump and gasp at the same time. "You aren't getting her back. She's MY niece. I should be taking care of her. Not you. If you try to come in and take her, I'll shoot her. Do you understand?"
"I understand that, but you don't want to harm her," Horatio stated matter – of – factly while motioning for SWAT to surround the building and enter.
"And why not?"
"You could go to jail for a longer time than what you already have. I don't think you want to do that."
Richard saw SWAT enter right then. He turned around towards Jen and pulled the trigger…
Chapter 8
Jen screamed. A bullet penetrated her leg as a bullet from the SWAT team went through Richard's chest killing him instantly. Jen stared at him bewildered as she started scooting away the best she could.
"Jennifer," a calm voice came a few seconds later. She looked up and saw Horatio walking towards her. "That looks pretty bad. I think we need to get you to the hospital." All Jen could do was cry and hold on to Horatio.
AT THE HOSPITAL
"How's Christi doin'," Jen asked when Horatio walked into her room after finishing the scene.
"She's hanging in there," he told her not wanting to alarm her with the fact that she had almost died on them.
"The doctors won't let me see her no matter how much I beg."
"Christi isn't really up for any visitors right now." Horatio flashed her one of his looks that he gave (she had never been able to describe this one) from the chair he was sitting in beside the bed
Jen's face fell. "And I was wanting to see her too," she mumbled looking down at her hands.
Alexx walked in right then. "How are you feeling, baby?"
Jennifer just shrugged. She didn't know what to say or do. All she wanted right then was to see Christi and talk to her. Her eyes started tearing up with a few drops falling down her cheek. "I wanna see her NOW," she whined/demanded.
"You can't right now, honey," Alexx reminded gently as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"Where's Speed? I want to see Speed." By this point, Jen was almost yelling.
"He's on his way over," Alexx replied gently.
Jen scrunched up her nose, sniffed, and got an irritated look on her face. Nobody was letting her do anything. It felt like everyone was treating her like a baby and that she couldn't handle things herself. Fortunately for her, Speed came in right then.
"What's up," he asked.
"Speed," exclaimed Jen as she jumped out of the bed like a frog to hug him, forgetting about her leg, and caused Alexx to jump back to get out of her way. Once landing, arms around Speed's neck, she cringed in pain.
"What are you trying to do, get us killed," Speed retorted with a snort as he got his balance back with his back against the wall. That got him a one of her puppy looks that could make a guy's heart melt if they weren't careful. "Let's get you back into the bed."
"Can you tell us what Richard did to you before we came in," pushed Horatio as Jen kept a hold of Speed who was by this time sitting on the edge with his arm around her.
Jen hesitated for a moment before starting.
FLASHBACK
She could feel the car finally come to a stop. Who knew how long he had been driving? Richard came around, opened the trunk, and dragged her out of it and into a building. Before she even knew what was going on, he dropped her on the ground and started to rape her. Her screaming wasn't doing her much good seeing as there wasn't anyone around to hear her. After a few minutes he stopped and started to beat her. For what felt like eternity, it was just that. Rape and beaten, rape and beaten. Richard probably would have kept going for a while longer if Horatio hadn't shown up with SWAT.
FLASHBACK OVER
When she had finished explaining the painful memories, she looked up at Horatio with sad eyes, tears about ready to fall over, and buried herself more into Speed.
"Ok," Horatio whispered as he looked down.
"They haven't done a rape kit on you, have they," questioned Speed. Jen shook her head in response.
Horatio got up and left the room. A nurse came in a few minutes later with everything needed for a rape kit and asked Alexx and Speed to leave.
"B-b-but I–I want Speed to stay," Jen contradicted, gripping him tighter. She was too afraid to be left alone with the nurse, no matter how nice and trusting she was. Not after what happened with Mr. McGee. The nurse and Speed stared at each other for a moment.
"You sure about that ma'am," probed the nurse, a concerned look shadowing her face. Jen nodded fervently. There was no way she was going to be alone like that again. To her comfort, her request was granted, but not without a comment from Speed about how discomforting the request was to him.
"How come I haven't seen Eric yet," Christi questioned/whined when a nurse came in 5 hours after the last one left with the promise to try and get him in.
"You haven't been aloud to have visitors for the past 5 hours. We've called him just a few minutes ago, and he's on his way now," the nurse informed her politely. "How are you feeling?"
Christi just shrugged a little. How was she supposed to feel? "Is Jen anywhere in the hospital?"
"She's just a few rooms down, right outside ICU."
"I wanna see her too." Christi's eyes were begging.
"I'll bring her over in a minute or two." Another nurse came in right then and started mumbling about "doing better" and "bringing Jennifer in". The nurse that had just come in left the room and came back a few minutes later with Jen and Speed.
"What were you doing a few doors down," questioned Christi.
"Mr. McGee," came Jen's response.
"What's he doing in the hospital?"
"Not him. Me. He's dead."
"What did he do to you?!?!"
"I'll tell you when you're not so prone to flat lining, Christi."
Christi rolled her eyes. "Not you too…"
"What?"
"Everyone is treating me like a baby." Christi's face went sour as she said it.
"I know how you feel."
They fell silent for a few moments.
