Missing

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: There's a lot that happens in this chapter, and I couldn't think of a chapter title, haha. Enjoy

Chapter 35 (Tornado)

"I got them, Rick." Tori cupped her hand over Rick's strong hand and brought her forehead to rest on them. "I saved them-Trina and Cat. You were right, I didn't give up." Her heart throbbed painfully as she turned her gaze to his face. She took a deep breath and held back a sob. "I'd give anything to see you wake up right now."

He would be proud of her for the work she did, especially in that she didn't give in to her desire for revenge. "Holly will stand trial, and I wouldn't be surprised if she gets capital punishment." Her fingers curled around his hand and she kissed him with trembling lips. "I love you"

She studied the small box on the counter beside his bed and her heart continued to break. She wasn't going to touch the ring until he woke up, but she had time to think about the answer to a question she wanted more than anything for him to ask. "I…I'd love to be your wife, Rick."

All of the anger she bore was still present, and even though she hadn't killed Holly, there was a large part of her that still wanted to tear her throat out.

Tori swept his hair away from his forehead and mustered a small smile. "They asked about us. My dad, Jade, and everyone else. They know about us, and it wasn't as nerve-wracking as I thought. You were right, they're not intruding like I thought." She had Trina to thank for that, simply because everyone was now focusing on the woman and making her feel comfortable. "I do wish I told them sooner, I just-I didn't care for any unsolicited advice of theirs."

Much of her anger was now directed at herself for having been too proud to tell anyone else, and now she was scared he wouldn't make it. "It isn't fair. It isn't fair that I should lose one person important to me when I finally get my sister back."

The door to the room opened and Tori looked back to see Cat shuffling in. "Tori?" She sat upright and wiped her wet face with a tissue. "I hope it's okay that I bring my family here." She could see no reason not to, and at this point, she didn't want to be alone.

"Sure Cat."

Cat's parents and siblings walked in, all looking from her to Rick with sympathetic eyes. Abigail spoke up as though she were the spokesperson for the family. "Thank you. Thank you for bringing Cat to us." Her lips curved slightly and she shrugged.

"It's what I do. My job. I'm glad to do it." She was aware of the promise Jade made to them, and while she wouldn't have approved at the time, she was glad the family had that hope. "I'm sorry that not everyone is able to see her safe."

Cat's mother stood behind the girl and put her arms around her daughter's neck, hugging her tight. "At least I know she's okay. Nona and Will are looking down with smiles." Tori nodded and turned her head to Rick. She moved her hand over his and let her eyes drop while listening the beeps of the heart monitor. "He'll pull through, I believe it."

"I hope so."

"You can't lose that faith," Abigail remarked, "You can't give up." She moved her head back and closed her eyes. "You never gave up, and our sisters both are saved."

"It isn't so easy when it's something you can't fight." She was grateful for Abigail's words of encouragement, but it was difficult for her to truly believe them. At least in this moment.

"Still, you need him right?" Her eyes opened partially and the tears in her eyes glistened beneath the hospital lights. "So why give up hope that he'll pull through. We never gave up that Cat was out there, safe, and here she is."

"Yeah…" The doctors did say he'd make it, so she wasn't sure why it was so hard for her to accept that. "I'm just afraid of losing him." She wouldn't give up on him, of course he could pull through this coma, but sitting here was hard as hell. Hell, nine years, she thought she'd lost her sister. Why couldn't she have both her sister and her lover?

Tori looked to the television in the room, which she'd turned on in order to see what was being mentioned on the news. Of course, all the local and national news stations were discussing the events of the raid. To her satisfaction, the only live shots any of them managed to get were the police vans, and officers telling them to stay on the other side of the street.

Any reporter caught going into the area would be charged with interfering with a police investigation. As ordered by the Police Chief.

"Investigators have not given us much in regards to the police raid on Monday afternoon." The reporter was an old friend of Sam's that now lived in Sacramento. Tori pursed her lips and sat up as pictures of the more important people involved appeared on screen. "Katrina Vega and Catherine Valentine, after being missing for nine long years, have been found and returned home to their families."

Andre's picture appeared and Tori could see Cat tense with anxiety. Tori inhaled slowly and smiled at the television while the reporter continued. "Investigators tell us this man, Andre Harris-whose life was cut short after a standoff with police-was responsible for making the phone call that alerted police to the whereabouts of the girls. Though he was involved in the kidnapping of the two women, investigators claim he is a hero. We will have more information in days to come."

"Good luck," Tori whispered with a smirk, "I have little intention of giving any further information to the press. You get freedom to go near the trial when it happens, but you're not getting anything more." She pat her hands together and turned to Cat. "Well Cat? We went ahead and let them know Andre helped us."

"I'm glad." Cat released the breath she'd been holding and closed her eyes. "I know they'll still tear apart his intentions in court-but at least people know he wasn't one of the bad guys."

"At least." She could do nothing about what the lawyers would do. As for preparation, she couldn't do much to help Cat prepare. "Just be ready when you give your testimony. The lawyers will probably try to figure out how much you had to do with all the crimes that happened."

Abigail put her hand onto her sister's shoulder and smiled. "Be strong, sis."

"I will be as much as I can be…" Cat motioned to Rick, and Tori followed the gesture with her eyes. "You be strong too, Tori. He'll make it through this." She swept away a tear and reached for Rick's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

When she returned home, she was pleasantly surprised to see everyone seated around the living room. Trina was on the couch with Victoria and Jesse, while David and Monica were in the two-seat couch.

She made her way to the recliner and glanced to the TV, they had the news on but it was muted. "Too much news for one day?" She asked.

David looked over and waved his hand through the air. "We got tired of the reporter talking so we put it on mute and got caught up in conversation." Tori meshed her eyebrows together and sat down.

"What were you talking about?"

Trina straightened her back and breathed in a careful breath. "A number of things I missed out on over the last decade." Tori nodded once and Trina moved her hand towards her stomach. "I know I'm going to need an actual doctor's appointment soon, so can I make a suggestion?"

"Please do."

"I was going to go through my term with Victoria with Dr. Mathers, if she's still in practice, I'd like her to be my gynecologist. Also I had set up with Dr. Ken Sultemeier back then to be the pediatrician…is he still in practice?"

"I think so. We haven't really had a chance to get Victoria a regular physical." Trina frowned and Tori slid her hands down the arm rests of the recliner. "We thought she'd be more comfortable if you were present."

"What would you have done if I didn't make it out?"

"I would have raised my niece…" She didn't want to think about the 'what if', because it didn't happen. Even with Rick, she couldn't stand the 'what if' questions. "I was looking for pediatricians and I thought I saw that doctor's name somewhere. You and Victoria both need a primary doctor though. Until we can get you on some kind of insurance, I'll pay for the medical stuff."

In the corner of her eyes she watched the news. Jesse followed her look and frowned. "Things are going to be rough for a while," he said "How is Rick doing?" Her heart stopped and in an instant she felt uncomfortable with everyone looking at her.

"He's still hanging on." She moved her hands into her lap and slowly tapped a finger on her leg. "But let's not talk about him right now, I-" She choked on her words and felt her tears building beneath her eyelids. "I don't want to think about that right now, I have to be stronger than this."

It was Victoria that moved over to her. As the child hugged her waist, Tori felt a splash of warmth inside. She pat the girl on the back and smiled down at her. "It'll be okay, Aunt Tori. You saved mommy, so Mr. Rick will make it too."

The girl's innocence and faith surprised her, but she was happy to see it. She groomed the child's hair and tilted her head to the side. "You know something I just realized? You are a bright child despite the things you've been through."

"That's the effect of Andre and Cat," Trina answered, "They tried their best to give Victoria a childhood-and actually Gary did the same." Her eyes darted over and widened while David slowly raised an eyebrow. "Gary couldn't see a sense in making a small child suffer. Anything bad that happened to my daughter was at Holly's hands, and nobody else."

"That-" She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "That s a good thing still." Jade and Beck would like hearing that, since they were still struggling hardest with having to gun the man down.

The phone beside her broke through the silence that was forming, causing her to jump and glare at the device. The number didn't have a contact name, so she couldn't see who it was.

When she answered and heard Haley's voice, she froze. "Tori, we're watching the news. Trina's safe?" Her teeth clenched together and her eyes moved onto her sister. Trina's brow furrowed and her cheeks fell.

"Yes. What do you want?" She tried not to sound bitter, but it was near impossible. "This isn't exactly a good day-and tell me this isn't hitting international airwaves."

"Not at all, we're on the plane. We won't be touching down for several more hours." She heard the woman take a deep breath and waited for her to say something before hanging up on her. "They said that Trina had a daughter, eight years old, and investigators found her. Now I know you made Sinjin take that DNA test a month ago when you brought that young girl to the campus…"

Tori looked away and spread her lips into a slight sneer. "Don't you worry, Haley. We'll be staying out of your hair. We don't need another instance of Holly in our lives."

"What-no! I-so that confirms it. The girl is his?"

"We won't make him pay alimony or anything like that."

"That's Haley calling?" Trina asked abruptly. Tori snapped her gaze over and slowly nodded as the rest of the people in the room tensed. "Well, let her talk…I want to know what she's going to say."

"Fine." She tensed her muscles, and her hand was clamping down so much that she was afraid of crushing the phone. "Trina's moved on like Sinjin has, Haley. I think you should understand that, she won't be a threat to you."

"Look Tori." Her stomach tightened at Haley's firm tone. The woman blew out a quick exhale and her voice softened a bit. "I know you don't like me, and you don't have to trust me either. Yes I am not a fan of children, I have my reasons, but I'm not a bad person. I'm not that woman they arrested! If that's Sinjin's daughter, then I think he deserves to at least be a part of her life in some way. Don't keep her from knowing who he is because of me."

"Oh please, like you would actually agree to-" Haley cut her off and spoke slower, each word out of her mouth was spoken with strong emphasis.

"If she is his daughter, I will accept her."

Still wary of the woman, she scoffed at her and shook her head. "Did Sinjin put you up to that? You're not saying that just because he's making you?"

"He has no idea, Tori. He's asleep, he didn't hear the part about Trina's daughter. I'm not asking you to trust me, hell I don't care if you trust me or not." She jerked her head back and her jaw fell open. "I'm asking you to put aside your pride and let Sinjin have a chance to know his child because they both deserve it. That shouldn't even be your decision, really, that should be Trina's."

"She's going through a hard time right now, but I'll talk to her." She closed her eyes and sank back into the recliner. "I imagine she'll call you two when she's ready to, but with him being overseas for five years…"

"There are computers. It's not impossible. But thank you, I hope you'll let her give me a call. I really haven't talked to Sinjin about this yet, so I'd like to talk to her first so we can work out how to approach this with him." Haley stopped momentarily and Tori heard someone ask about peanuts. Haley thanked the person then returned to the call. "You'd think airlines would have moved on from peanuts by now, but no! Anyway Tori, I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry for the way I acted in front of that child, the things I've said to you. Just…look, I know I can be a defensive bitch at times, and I'll work on that, just please don't punish Sinjin-or that child who won't know her father because of your pride-because of me."

"I accept your apology." She pulled the phone away and looked to her family. For the first time, she was stunned to agree with Haley, but the woman spoke the truth. Trina may want to be with Jesse, and Sinjin was engaged to Haley, but that was no reason to keep Victoria from knowing her birth father.

With a heavy breath and relieving herself of her pride, she moved the phone back to her ear and closed her eyes. "There's still a lot that needs to be done, Haley. We'll…be in touch. Just, I don't know when, it could be after the trial for all I know. There's still doctor appointments to deal with, we have to get Victoria enrolled in a school, you know how it goes."

"Right. We'll, I'll be waiting. Just call whenever Trina's ready. Thanks for hearing me out. I know we're not friends and all, but-"

Tori smirked and ended the call. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." She set the phone on the armrest and looked over to her dad. "Would it look so bad if I took another short break from work?" The man answered only with a laugh. She wasn't planning on taking another break, since her boss wouldn't like that, but it was a good thought.

Haley's got a genuine plea. There's a lot to think about in this chapter, so do tell me your thoughts if you will