The doctor exited the private exam room and joined Dan and Nikki in the hallway, where they waited with Dr. Alicia Porter from Children's Services. "Physically she is fine, she still hasn't spoken but she nodded in all the right places so she understood me. Unfortunately, Alicia, I don't think she'll come with you without putting up a fight. She kept a pretty tight hold on Detective Delaney."
"I'm sure we'll be fine," Alicia answered. The doctor nodded and moved off toward the nurses station to finalize Isabelle's file.
"Maybe she should stay with Nora," Nikki suggested. "At least for tonight."
"She can't tag along with you while you solve her mother's murder," Alicia objected.
"A murder she may have witnessed." Nikki generally liked Alicia but at times she could come across as a bit cold. Side effect of the job she supposed, open your heart to every child and you run the risk of getting it broken...a lot.
"All the more reason she should come with me and get the help of licensed professionals."
"All the more reason she should come with us so we can protect her and find out what she knows."
"All right, ladies," Dan interjected. "We all want what's best for that little girl. Detective, go check on your partner." Nikki stared at him for a second before she nodded and headed toward the exam room. "Now, Dr. Porter what do we need to do..." she heard Dan say as the door closed behind her.
Nikki smiled as she entered and found Nora sitting on the exam table with Isabelle curled up next to her with her head on the blonde's lap. "Hey there," Nikki whispered. "Dan's talking to Alicia about what we should do with her."
"She should go where she can get help," Nora responded.
"That's exactly what I said."
"Then what's to discuss?" Isabelle finally became aware of the conversation and scrambled into Nora's lap. "It's okay honey, this is my partner, Nikki. Remember?"
Nikki moved forward and crouched next to the table. "I'm sorry if I startled you sweetie. I heard your name is Isabelle. Such a big name for a little girl, I bet your mom called you Belle."
Isabelle turned slightly to look at Nikki and shook her head.
"Nah," Nora disagreed. "No princess name for this brave girl, I'm gonna guess Izzy."
Nikki watched as the girl gave a slight smile before her eyes filled with tears. "I not brave," she whispered.
Nora tightened her hold. "Are you kidding. You are very brave."
"I saw the bad man hurt mommy."
Nikki stood and sat on the table, she then reached out and laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. "And you called the police to get help."
"Isabelle, did you see the bad man?" Nora asked quietly. The girl buried her face against Nora's chest as she cried. "It's okay. We don't have to talk about it now."
"Why don't you go see if Alicia has a place lined up," Nora suggested.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Nikki disagreed.
"Well we can't sit here all night. She's going to need someone to help her."
"I think she has someone," Nikki smiled. "If that someone would just admit it."
"Nik, we have a job to do." She looked down at the sobbing child and then back up uncertainly. "I can't..."
"You can," Nikki promised.
"You promised," came the whispered sob from below her chin.
"Okay," Nora agreed. She took a deep breath to stop the threatening tears. "Okay."
Nikki reached out and brushed a lock of hair behind the blonde's ear. "It'll be fine." She then slid off the table and went out into the hall to make it happen.
Nora carried Isabelle into the house, the young girl having fallen asleep during the drive. "I'm going to go lay her down," she told her partner as she carried the child into the second bedroom.
Nora got the child tucked into the bed and turned to leave the room. "Stay," Isabelle whispered as she held out her hand.
"I thought you were asleep."
"Stay," the girl said again.
Nora smiled as she sat on the bed and settled against the headboard. The girl tucked herself along Nora's side and seemed to immediately fall back to sleep.
Once Nora had disappeared into the bedroom Nikki poured two tumblers of bourbon and settled on the couch to wait. Her glass drained after twenty minutes she eyed Nora's still full one, after sneaking a sip she went in search. She stood inside the bedroom doorway and studied the sweet picture before her for a few moments, her heart melting at the sight. She finally forced herself to move as she tiptoed into the room, she grabbed the blanket from the foot of the bed and covered her sleeping lover. She planted a kiss on Nora's forehead before she turned to sneak back out.
The next morning Nora shuffled into the kitchen in search of coffee. After pouring herself a mug she went off in search of her partner, coming up empty she decided to just settle on the couch. A few moments later Nikki came through the door carrying a pink and purple backpack.
Nora eyed the bag. "Not your usual style," she teased.
Nikki stuck out her tongue as she sat on the couch. "Techs finished at the house so I went to pick up a few things for Isabelle."
Nora took a long drink from her mug. "It was her room wasn't it? The crime scene?"
"Yeah, looked like." Nikki took Nora's mug and took a sip. "I wonder what that was about."
"I don't know," Nora sighed as her head fell back against the couch.
Nikki turned on the couch and tucked her leg under herself. She rested her arm on the back and began running her fingers through Nora's hair. "So, I was thinking I'd head into the station and start gathering some background on the victim, maybe check in with Charlie."
Nora had let her eyes close at Nikki's massage. At her partner's words she turned her head and smiled at the brunette. "You don't play fair."
"You need to stay here with her."
Nora took a deep breath, "I know. But I promised her I'd find out who did this."
"And we will." Nikki saw the same uncertainty in the green eyes that she had seen the night before. "She has bonded with you, and no matter how much it may scare you she needs this."
"You are so much better with kids though."
Nikki smiled at that fallacy. "With their runny noses and sticky hands? I don't think …." The rest of her argument was cut off by a scream from the other room.
The detectives ran into the bedroom to find Isabelle backed into a corner with her knees pulled to her chest. "Lot the door, lot the door," she cried.
Nora ran to sit by her and pulled the frightened child onto her lap. "I'm sorry I left you, I didn't want to wake you."
"I fordot to lot the door."
"No, you didn't. I left it open so I could hear you when you woke up."
Isabelle buried her face against Nora as she cried. "I think she means her door," Nikki guessed.
"Oh God," Nora sighed. She tightened her hold as she rocked the girl. "It's okay sweetie, I've got you now."
"Morning Detective," Dan called as Nikki entered the room. "I was wondering when you might show."
"Long morning," the brunette answered as she joined her lieutenant next to Georgia's desk.
"Things go okay with the kid?" Georgia asked.
"For the most part," Nikki sighed as she leaned against the desk. "I went back to the house earlier to pick up a few things for her, looks like her mother was killed in her room."
"Poor thing, though it explains why she was under the bed."
"To make matters worse she blames herself." At the shocked looks on their faces Nikki explained. "She woke up terrified this morning, yelling about locking the door. She's still not talking much but Nora was able to get that she was supposed to lock her bedroom door at night, she forgot and her mom was trying to get the bad man out."
"Bastard," Dan spat. "Has Nora gotten anything else?"
Nikki shook her head. "She's working on it though. If anyone can it'll be Nora," she added with a sad smile as she thought of how the girl would cling to her partner.
"Okay, well why don't you two go see if Charlie has finished up. If Rosalie did put up a fight she may had gotten a piece of him. I'm going to see if Verret is done cataloguing everything we brought out of the vic's house."
"Sounds good Lieutenant," Georgia agreed as she stood up. Once he walked away she turned to Nikki. "I can fill you in on what, little, we've found so far." Nikki nodded as the two detectives headed toward the elevators. "So you like having a little one in the house?"
"Haven't had her long enough to tell," Nikki answered. "We're just doing what we hope is best for her."
"Little surprising the way she's latched onto Nora. Or, more accurately, the way Nora's let her."
Nikki glanced sideways at the other detective. "You know, contrary to popular belief, my partner does have a heart."
"Oh yeah?" Georgia teased as she stepped into the elevator.
"Only a limited few are privileged enough to see it; maybe one day you shall be elevated to that special group," Nikki smirked as she stepped into the car.
The two women stood side by side and as the doors closed Georgia added softly, "one can only hope."
Nikki's head whipped around and she gaped at the other woman. Georgia simply stared impassively at the descending numbers. When the doors parted she stepped out of the elevator and, unable to hold off any longer, broke into a huge grin.
"You are so bad," Nikki accused as she followed.
Georgia opened the morgue door and held it for Nikki. "I'm sorry," she replied as she schooled her expression.
"I highly doubt that."
Georgia chuckled as the two entered the morgue. "Hey Anna, Charlie around?"
"Morning detectives." The lab tech went through a stack of files and brought one over. "The doc had to go out to a crime scene but he left this for you. Montgomery, right?"
"Thanks Anna," Nikki said as she took the file and began flipping through it. "Cause of death was blunt force trauma. And it looks like Isabelle was right, Charlie found some skin samples under Rosalie's fingernails. He's waiting on the DNA results."
"Hopefully our guy will be in the system."
"Speaking of the system, what did you find out about the victim?" Nikki asked as the two left the morgue.
"I spoke with the landlord this morning. He said her name was Rosalie Montgomery and that she was a good tenant, always paid her rent on time and in cash. There was something about him though that bugged me."
"Like maybe he was offering a discount?" Nikki guessed as they stepped back into the elevator.
"Could be, he seemed the type. We also couldn't find her name in the system; Dan is running her prints."
"Hmm. Maybe the landlord isn't the only one sampling. I'll check with my friends still in Vice, maybe they'll know if someone was cutting her some slack."
A/N: To upload faster I'm updating with larger chapters. Hopefully the multiple scenes flowed well.