Chapter 18 – An Unnatural Sleep

Evan scowled at the body lying on his autopsy table. Or rather, what was left of a body. He'd been totally disturbed by this case from the moment he walked onto the crime scene a couple hours earlier. A tip from an anonymous caller had sent them to an underpass where they found the remains of a teenage girl, her body lacerated almost beyond recognition. What had him perplexed was that he had estimated the time of death at roughly 6 am. His mind was at war with his eyes, trying to make sense of what lay before him. The wounds that covered this victim looked like claw marks, and the only cases he had seen in recent history of anything like it were ones that he now knew involved Vincent. Well, and that psychopath Peter Hollingsworth. The Third.

Catherine had assured him that Vincent protected innocent lives, and yet, what could be more innocent than a young girl out for an early morning jog? He might not be a detective, but the running sneakers and what appeared to have been a jogging suit were kind of a giveaway.

What could have caused Vincent to do such a thing? He thought back to the early morning phone call he got from JT asking him to go to the hospital and check on Cat. He had said that Vincent was out cold from a tranquilizer dart – but what if that was merely a cover so he wouldn't suspect that Vincent had done this? It seemed to be a ready-made alibi.

Or was that what someone else wanted him to think? Could the men who had abducted Dr. Salter be responsible for this? For somehow trying to frame Vincent to launch an all-out manhunt for the beast that killed innocent young women? And if Vincent was being framed, how many more lives would these monsters sacrifice to accomplish their goal? He pulled off one rubber glove as he headed to his phone. Reaching it, he scrolled through the caller id until he found the call from JT. Damn it! Of course the number was blocked. JT wouldn't take unnecessary chances. He sat down at his desk, and logged onto his computer. Pulling up the files for the Ashley Webster case, he scanned through Cat and Tess' notes, looking for contact information. He knew they had gone to wherever it was the man lived to talk to him…

After skimming the entire file he growled in frustration. It would seem Cat had gone back in after the case was closed and erased any mention of JT from the investigation. He idly wondered how many other cases she had purposely altered in an attempt to protect Vincent. He was beginning to wonder if Cat's integrity was compromised to the point where she couldn't be trusted. This went beyond looking the other way; now he had cause to believe she was illegally purging information from active investigations.

Still, he was going to need her if he was going to be able to contact JT Forbes. He punched in the number to her cell and waited impatiently. Fortunately she picked up on the second ring. "Hey, Evan," she answered in a dreamy voice, followed by a yawn.

"Oh, hey – did I wake you?" He might have suspicions about her recent conduct, but she was still his friend. He couldn't help but care about her health.

"Yeah but it's ok. Seems all I do is sleep. I'm getting lazy." She chuckled.

Evan smiled. "Sweetheart, of all the things I could imagine you being, lazy is not one of them. Your body just needs rest to heal is all."

"Yeah, that's what the doctor told me too. I just hate feeling so sluggish. They said they stopped giving me pain meds but I still feel kind of loopy. I wonder how long it takes them to wear off…" Her voice drifted off to silence.

"Cat?" No response. "CAT!" Evan was feeling frantic. When she didn't answer him, he hung up the phone and started pacing, trying to think. Before he could even process what just happened, his phone rang. Snatching it off the wall he barked, "Morgue!"

"Evan?"

Evan clenched his teeth trying to regain some control. "Yes – who is this?"

"Evan it's – Vincent. I need your help. I think something's wrong with Catherine." He sounded desperate. Much the way Evan himself was feeling.

"Where are you?" Evan demanded to know.

"I'm on the roof of the building across the street from her room. Some doctor came into her room about half an hour ago and she's been acting strange ever since. She was awake and alert before that and suddenly she can't stay awake and now…" He swallowed down the fear choking him. "Now I can't feel her. At all. It's like she doesn't exist. For 9 years I've been able to sense her presence and now… nothing. I think someone may be trying to kill her. Please," he begged, "Can you check on her?"

"On my way," Evan told him, hanging up before Vincent could even respond. He efficiently placed the dead girl's body into the morgue's refrigerated storage unit. Whatever was going on with that case could wait. Catherine's life was of primary importance.

As he was running out of the precinct, he ran into Joe. "How's that autopsy coming along, Marks? You finished already?"

"No, I haven't even really started it yet," Evan said, never breaking stride as he headed for his car. He heard the sound of Joe's footsteps running up behind him, just before a hand grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"Look, I don't know where you think you're going in such a hurry, but I need that autopsy done yesterday. This looks like it's the work of our vigilante killer and I don't want the trail to get cold."

Evan looked the Lieutenant square in the eyes and said, "Something's really wrong with Cat. I think someone may be trying to harm her. Do you really want to stand here and argue about a case?"

Joe's eyes widened. "Harm her how? What's going on?"

Evan unlocked his car and opened the driver door. "Get in. I'll explain on the way."

As Vincent talked with Evan, he paced on the rooftop across from Mt. Sinai Hospital, his eyes never leaving Catherine's still form. Even before they ended their call he knew it would take Evan too long to reach the hospital. If he waited it might be too late to save her. In a desperate gesture he knew could change his entire life, he called directory assistance and got patched through to the ICU Unit.

"I need to speak to Dr. Salter please," he told the receptionist, an edge of impatience in his voice.

"I'm sorry, she's doing rounds. May I take a message?"

"No! This is a life and death emergency. Have her paged immediately!" He was relieved when the receptionist put him on hold with assurances that she would track Alex down. Less than a minute later he heard the line picked up and her voice greeted him.

"This is Dr. Salter, how may I help you?"

"Alex, listen to me. Don't say anything but you need to get to Catherine Chandler's room immediately. Something is wrong with her – I think someone may have poisoned her."

"Wha-what?" Vincent could see her standing in the reception lobby on the lower level of the hospital. She spun around looking for him, her face clearly expressing how terrified she was.

"Alex, snap out of it!" he barked at her. "You're trained for emergencies – focus! Go to Catherine Chandler's room NOW!" He cut the connection with her, forestalling any more discussion on the matter. He had to trust that her instincts would kick in and spur her into action. He wasn't disappointed, as he saw her run full throttle up the stairs and a moment later burst into Catherine's room. He watched her immediately remove the IV, then scan the monitors by Catherine's bedside, even as she was checking for a pulse. She pushed the intercom on the wall and within seconds medical personnel were piling into the room. Vincent watched helplessly from across the street, tears streaming down his face as an overwhelming sense of emptiness filled him. Had he saved Catherine from the wreck, just to lose her now? What kind of cruel injustice was the universe capable of? Or was this his punishment somehow, for the lives he had taken when he was transformed into the beast?

He looked on while Alex valiantly performed CPR on Catherine's still body – his past fighting for his future, even though she didn't know it. Even if she had, he knew Alex well enough to know she still would have done everything in her power to save Catherine's life. He could see her calling out orders to the cloud of professionals assisting her, and he was grateful she had accepted his assertion about the poisoning. There wasn't a moment to waste. He only hoped they hadn't been too late…

Vincent dropped to his knees by the ledge and closed his eyes. Focusing every ounce of energy he possessed in his body he searched for that spark of life in her. If she could hold on to that, if she could fight… A shudder shook his entire muscular frame. He suddenly felt filled with Catherine's presence but he wasn't prepared for what happened next.

"I'm here, Vincent. I'll always be here," he heard her voice say inside his mind. A gentle caress made the scar on his cheek tingle, and a breeze lifted his hair like fingers threading themselves into it. Her scent filled the air around him. Vincent's fear became unlike anything he had ever experienced.

"No," he choked out. "Catherine you have to go back. You have to fight. I need you here with me. All of you. Please.. if I lose you I may as well die. I need you to fight. Not just for yourself but for us."