Author: Catgurl83
Title: Burning Memories
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me and never will except in my wildest dreams. Even then, the only ones I want to own are Carter and Ramono.
Rating: PG. 13
Summary of chapter seven: Chapter seven's flashbacks picked up four days after the kidnapping and went to nine days after the kidnapping. Ramono remembered his feelings helplessness and impatience as well as what was being done to find his wife and daughter. Then he imagined what was being done to them.
In present time, Elisabeth wanted to help Robert, to comfort him but didn't know how. She settled for being silently supportive.
In the next flashback, Robert's in-laws were interviewed and said that they thought Robert was responsible for their daughter and granddaughter's disappearances. Robert countered with his own interview. At the end of the chapter, Robert said that he thought that the interview was difficult but that the next day tore him into tiny pieces.
Feedback: Is greatly appreciated. Thanks to all those who have been giving it!
Author's notes: Sorry if all of these flashback are becoming tedious. They are getting like that for me too. We are almost done with the important flashbacks and then there will be a lot fewer of them!
For some reason, when I posted chapter 7, Burning Memories was removed from the ER page. It could only be accessed from my profile. I have no idea how this happened but I'm hoping that by posting chapter 8, I'll get the story back on the ER page.
*************
Elisabeth gently laid her hand on Robert's arm without even knowing that she was doing it. Her eyes watched his face intently.
Robert was silent as he struggled for the words to explain the worst day of his entire existence. The day in which he would have gladly stopped existing if he could have. Ten days of guttural pain had ceased with a mind- numbing blow.
***********
Flashback
***********
Robert ran his hand through his rapidly thinning hair. He paced across his living room rapidly, his eyes glued to the clock. Detective Dillion had called minutes before to say that he was on his way over. Scenarios and possible reasons for the visit ran through his mind. Could they have.? No, he wouldn't go there right now. He couldn't. It would hurt too much if that wasn't the case.
He stopped beside the window and pulled a blind out of his way. Nothing. How long could a trip here possibly take? Especially in a police vehicle.
He felt Antonio press something in his hand and looked down to see a mug. He lifted it and took a swallow of very strong black coffee. He spit it back into the mug. "Crap." He sputtered. "This is worst than the coffee at the hospital."
Antonio shrugged. "I figured you needed it strong right now."
"What I need is something stronger than coffee." Robert muttered.
Antonio ignored the comment as they were alerted to Dillion's presence by the reporters' shouted questions. Antonio swung the front door open just as Dillion reached the porch. With a small smile of gratitude, Dillion stepped inside. Antonio mused on the fact that he actually liked Dillion as he followed him into the living room. Dillion was pretty nice for a cop.
Dillion gestured to the sofa. "Let's sit down."
Robert wearily sat across from Dillion. Antonio, who sensed that this was going to be difficult, stood near his cousin. He had already called Mitch who was on his way.
Dillion pursued the other man. How was he going to do this? This was the worst part of his job. Hell, it was the worst part of his life. Smashing people's hearts and lives to bits was not something that he considered to be fun or fulfilling. "We found..." Dillion finally began.
Robert jumped to his feet as he impatiently interrupted the detective. "Where are they?"
Dillion sighed. "Robert." The one word held a wealth of information.
"No!" The word was a vehement refusal of all that had not been said.
"We found Natalie in an abandoned shack several miles from here." Dillion went on, his eyes directed at a spot above Robert's head. "She had been dead for several days."
Robert sank back into his chair before his legs could go out. Dead. Dead. Dead. The word echoed in his mind and rang in his ears.
Robert fought to hold back the bile rising within his throat. Bile burned a course to his mouth as he saw his wife being ripped away from him. Hot tears fell from his eyes as he choked back his distaste and hatred for a man he had never met and his grief for the only woman he would ever love with his entire heart.
Dillion had to keep his eyes diverted from the raw emotion playing in Robert's eyes and on his face.
A word fought its way past Robert's pain to echo through his mind, through his entire body. Robert felt a jolt of hope as the word was torn from his lips. "Jubilee?" The word was a desperate plea and held every emotion that Robert was filling.
Antonio laid his hand on Robert's shoulder as the name hung on the air in the room seemingly choking off the oxygen making it difficult to breathe.
Dillion shook his head and saw the immediate denial in Robert's eyes. He saw the horror and anguish that followed as he forced a sentence past his dry lips. "We don't have her."
Robert's head snapped back as if he had been punched.
"She wasn't in the shack." Dillion clarified. Nothing in his training had prepared him to do this. That just wasn't possible. No matter what you were told about doing this type of thing, it never worked like that. You could not practice this. You could not be ready for this.
Robert sat with his head in his hands for several minutes as he fought to comprehend what he had just heard. Words dueled in his brain as he tried to understand the meaning of Dillion's words.
"Jubilee wasn't there?" He finally whispered.
"No, she wasn't."
"Where is she?" He demanded as he stood up again.
Dillion stood up as well. "I wish we knew."
Robert moved toward a wall of pictures. With one motion of his arm glass- framed photos clattered to the ground, long jagged shards of glass glittered on the floor.
After several tension fraught moments, Robert turned from the wall. "How?"
Dillion understood the simple word and all that it was really asking. "Several volunteers found the shack earlier this afternoon. They looked in through a crack in the weathered board covering a broken window. Natalie's body was lying across the room."
Robert's eyes begged for more details, which Dillion reluctantly gave him. "Natalie was wearing the outfit she went missing in." Dillion went on when he saw the hopeful relief flash in Robert's eyes. "The clothes were shredded and blood splattered."
"Hers?"
"We don't have the DNA results back yet." Dillion hedged.
"But you think so?"
"Her injuries." Dillion paused. "Yes."
"Do you think that Jubilee was ever at the shack?" Antonio finally spoke.
"We have no way of knowing. We might know more when DNA test results come back on the hair and blood samples taken from the scene." Dillion answered.
"Where is Nattie?" Robert demanded suddenly.
Dillion blinked rapidly before answering. "She was taken to the hospital for an autopsy."
"I have to see her."
Dillion hesitated. "I'll see what I can do." He finally answered.
*********
Elisabeth felt a tear slip from the corner of her eye as Robert told of Natalie's death. She patted his arm a bit awkwardly with the hand still resting on his shoulder.
*********
Author's note: This is a lot shorter than I originally planned. I didn't want to invest very much time in it without knowing if it would even post on the site correctly. If this works, I'll post a longer chapter as soon as possible.
Title: Burning Memories
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me and never will except in my wildest dreams. Even then, the only ones I want to own are Carter and Ramono.
Rating: PG. 13
Summary of chapter seven: Chapter seven's flashbacks picked up four days after the kidnapping and went to nine days after the kidnapping. Ramono remembered his feelings helplessness and impatience as well as what was being done to find his wife and daughter. Then he imagined what was being done to them.
In present time, Elisabeth wanted to help Robert, to comfort him but didn't know how. She settled for being silently supportive.
In the next flashback, Robert's in-laws were interviewed and said that they thought Robert was responsible for their daughter and granddaughter's disappearances. Robert countered with his own interview. At the end of the chapter, Robert said that he thought that the interview was difficult but that the next day tore him into tiny pieces.
Feedback: Is greatly appreciated. Thanks to all those who have been giving it!
Author's notes: Sorry if all of these flashback are becoming tedious. They are getting like that for me too. We are almost done with the important flashbacks and then there will be a lot fewer of them!
For some reason, when I posted chapter 7, Burning Memories was removed from the ER page. It could only be accessed from my profile. I have no idea how this happened but I'm hoping that by posting chapter 8, I'll get the story back on the ER page.
*************
Elisabeth gently laid her hand on Robert's arm without even knowing that she was doing it. Her eyes watched his face intently.
Robert was silent as he struggled for the words to explain the worst day of his entire existence. The day in which he would have gladly stopped existing if he could have. Ten days of guttural pain had ceased with a mind- numbing blow.
***********
Flashback
***********
Robert ran his hand through his rapidly thinning hair. He paced across his living room rapidly, his eyes glued to the clock. Detective Dillion had called minutes before to say that he was on his way over. Scenarios and possible reasons for the visit ran through his mind. Could they have.? No, he wouldn't go there right now. He couldn't. It would hurt too much if that wasn't the case.
He stopped beside the window and pulled a blind out of his way. Nothing. How long could a trip here possibly take? Especially in a police vehicle.
He felt Antonio press something in his hand and looked down to see a mug. He lifted it and took a swallow of very strong black coffee. He spit it back into the mug. "Crap." He sputtered. "This is worst than the coffee at the hospital."
Antonio shrugged. "I figured you needed it strong right now."
"What I need is something stronger than coffee." Robert muttered.
Antonio ignored the comment as they were alerted to Dillion's presence by the reporters' shouted questions. Antonio swung the front door open just as Dillion reached the porch. With a small smile of gratitude, Dillion stepped inside. Antonio mused on the fact that he actually liked Dillion as he followed him into the living room. Dillion was pretty nice for a cop.
Dillion gestured to the sofa. "Let's sit down."
Robert wearily sat across from Dillion. Antonio, who sensed that this was going to be difficult, stood near his cousin. He had already called Mitch who was on his way.
Dillion pursued the other man. How was he going to do this? This was the worst part of his job. Hell, it was the worst part of his life. Smashing people's hearts and lives to bits was not something that he considered to be fun or fulfilling. "We found..." Dillion finally began.
Robert jumped to his feet as he impatiently interrupted the detective. "Where are they?"
Dillion sighed. "Robert." The one word held a wealth of information.
"No!" The word was a vehement refusal of all that had not been said.
"We found Natalie in an abandoned shack several miles from here." Dillion went on, his eyes directed at a spot above Robert's head. "She had been dead for several days."
Robert sank back into his chair before his legs could go out. Dead. Dead. Dead. The word echoed in his mind and rang in his ears.
Robert fought to hold back the bile rising within his throat. Bile burned a course to his mouth as he saw his wife being ripped away from him. Hot tears fell from his eyes as he choked back his distaste and hatred for a man he had never met and his grief for the only woman he would ever love with his entire heart.
Dillion had to keep his eyes diverted from the raw emotion playing in Robert's eyes and on his face.
A word fought its way past Robert's pain to echo through his mind, through his entire body. Robert felt a jolt of hope as the word was torn from his lips. "Jubilee?" The word was a desperate plea and held every emotion that Robert was filling.
Antonio laid his hand on Robert's shoulder as the name hung on the air in the room seemingly choking off the oxygen making it difficult to breathe.
Dillion shook his head and saw the immediate denial in Robert's eyes. He saw the horror and anguish that followed as he forced a sentence past his dry lips. "We don't have her."
Robert's head snapped back as if he had been punched.
"She wasn't in the shack." Dillion clarified. Nothing in his training had prepared him to do this. That just wasn't possible. No matter what you were told about doing this type of thing, it never worked like that. You could not practice this. You could not be ready for this.
Robert sat with his head in his hands for several minutes as he fought to comprehend what he had just heard. Words dueled in his brain as he tried to understand the meaning of Dillion's words.
"Jubilee wasn't there?" He finally whispered.
"No, she wasn't."
"Where is she?" He demanded as he stood up again.
Dillion stood up as well. "I wish we knew."
Robert moved toward a wall of pictures. With one motion of his arm glass- framed photos clattered to the ground, long jagged shards of glass glittered on the floor.
After several tension fraught moments, Robert turned from the wall. "How?"
Dillion understood the simple word and all that it was really asking. "Several volunteers found the shack earlier this afternoon. They looked in through a crack in the weathered board covering a broken window. Natalie's body was lying across the room."
Robert's eyes begged for more details, which Dillion reluctantly gave him. "Natalie was wearing the outfit she went missing in." Dillion went on when he saw the hopeful relief flash in Robert's eyes. "The clothes were shredded and blood splattered."
"Hers?"
"We don't have the DNA results back yet." Dillion hedged.
"But you think so?"
"Her injuries." Dillion paused. "Yes."
"Do you think that Jubilee was ever at the shack?" Antonio finally spoke.
"We have no way of knowing. We might know more when DNA test results come back on the hair and blood samples taken from the scene." Dillion answered.
"Where is Nattie?" Robert demanded suddenly.
Dillion blinked rapidly before answering. "She was taken to the hospital for an autopsy."
"I have to see her."
Dillion hesitated. "I'll see what I can do." He finally answered.
*********
Elisabeth felt a tear slip from the corner of her eye as Robert told of Natalie's death. She patted his arm a bit awkwardly with the hand still resting on his shoulder.
*********
Author's note: This is a lot shorter than I originally planned. I didn't want to invest very much time in it without knowing if it would even post on the site correctly. If this works, I'll post a longer chapter as soon as possible.