AN: Wow, this story is just writing its own - I can hardly keep up myself! Thank you again to my loyal readers for your continued interest. I return to work tomorrow and with my mum's birthday coming up at the end of the week, life will start to pick up pace again I imagine so it's highly possible I may not be able to update as frequently (but if I do still manage daily installments, that is a bonus for me and hopefully for you as well LOL).

Also, apologies for the delay in responding to my emails/PM's...I will get to all of you. I'm a bit of a shameful sloth in that department :-( Something to improve on this year LOL.

I hope everyone had a promising start to the New Year!

Tanith


Chapter 45

Pouring himself and Irene another round of hot percolated coffee, Mike heard Bill calling out his name from his desk. He hurried over to the Inspector who put a hand over the mouthpiece and said, "It's Chief Riley. They've found Steve."

Mike took the receiver from Bill's outstretched hand, anxiously needing to hear that his partner was okay. "Jim, it's Mike. Bill just told me you found my partner."

"Yeah, one of my boys, DÁngelo, caught sight of Keller's Porsche. The plates matched the one Inspector Martin called in. Thing is, it was parked in the back of a hotel in the Tenderloin and the only reason why it was found was because we had an operation running in the area. That particular hotel was on our list for a drug bust tonight," Chief Jim Riley informed the Lieutenant.

"I see. Did Steve say what he was doing there? He wouldn't have been aware about the bust and if he had, he would have known better to stay clear," Mike replied in confusion.

"Well...he hasn't said anything yet. When my men raided the place, they found him in one of the rooms."

"And? Jim, what's going on?" Mike was getting flustered with the odd and cryptic manner that Riley was speaking in.

"Mike, I don't know how else to tell you this but your partner was found in a..." Riley cleared his throat. "What could only have been a...a compromising position on the bed with two prostitutes lying on either side of him wearing nothing but their undergarments," he continued, clearly uncomfortable with delivering the news to the respectable senior detective.

Mike could hardly believe his ears. There had to be a mistake. "What? Now, wait a minute. What are you saying? That…that Steve was…no I can't even say it!"

"That's not all. He was handcuffed to the bed posts with a needle next to his arm. There was more drug related paraphernalia in that room, including in the pockets of Steve's clothing as well as a substantial amount of cash in the lining of his jacket." Riley continued. "Look, has Steve been under a lot of stress lately? I heard about the break in at his home a few days ago and I know he's been benched from the injuries he sustained. In any case, I've told the boys to keep this quiet but it's not looking too good."

Mike rubbed the back of his neck, at a loss to explain how his partner was found in the state that he was. No, it was a mistake. It had to be! And if it wasn't then it had to be set-up. "I appreciate that but are you sure this is Steve?"

"Positive. I'm sorry, Mike but you do understand that we'll have to impound his car and strip it down. Standard procedure."

Mike swallowed hard as he listened to Riley and thought about the serious implications this was going to have on Steve if it really was Steve they found. "Where is he?"

"At General Hospital. He was unconscious. They're running some tests on him. Let's just hope they don't turn up anything positive. Listen, you might want to be there when he wakes up," Riley suggested sympathetically.

"Thanks, Jim. I'm on my way," Mike ended the conversation and hung up the phone, only to be faced by Bill's look of concern and puzzlement. "He's at General. They're running some tests. I'll fill you in soon as I know more." Mike kept his explanation short and deliberately left out the circumstances in which Steve was apparently found in.

Bill accepted Mike's report without comment, though he had a gut feeling there was a lot more Mike was not ready to share. Whatever the reason may be, he knew better than to press for more information. "Sure. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

Mike simply nodded, too deep in his own thoughts to form an answer then he sought Irene and together they left the bureau once more.


Steve woke up to bright lights and a white room. The smell of disinfectant filled his nose and his head ached something terrible. His throat and mouth were parched and his tongue felt like sandpaper when he tried to lick his lips. With a groan, he raised his head and saw he was in a familiar looking room. Looking down at himself, he noted the gown he was wearing in place of his clothes and realized he must be in the hospital. Again. He turned his head to his right, where the bedside table was, hoping to find a glass of water or a pitcher to quench his thirst but when he tried to lift his right arm, it was snagged on something cold and metallic. When his eyes travelled to the limb, he saw that he was handcuffed to the rail of the bed. What the hell? Confusion quickly morphed into anxiety. Steve lifted his arm and yanked at the steel bracelet, testing his sanity and his conscious state. Nope, he wasn't dreaming. Satisfied that he wasn't imagining things and he wasn't crazy, the young man searched for the buzzer to call for a nurse. When no one arrived after the third buzz, Steve tried to recall what could have led him to this predicament then it all came flooding back to him in a great big rush. Jeannie. Whitney. The Cabin. George Holden and his two cronies. Christina Lee. He remembered being tied up then someone put him under and that was where his memory ended. "Shit! Mike!" Steve croaked. Breaking out in a cold sweat, he called out in a raspy voice, "Nurse! Nurse! Hello? Someone? Anyone?" He yanked the chain and cried out in pain as the cuff bit into his rope burned skin. "No, no, no….this is not happening!" Steve chanted dismally and lay back against the pillows, his heart hammering in his chest. Why was he cuffed? What the hell was going on? And where was Mike? He had to tell him about Whitney and his father. He had to tell him about Jeannie. Where is that damned nurse?!