I gotta say, there is no greater feeling than reading all of your guys' comments and questions about the story. It's a really cool feeling to know that I have people out there that are truly interested in what I'm writing and for that I'd like to thank you all! I hope this chapter gets some of those out of the way!
~ back at the lab ~
Natalia watched as Rose sat in the questioning room with a blank face while the officer finished up his questions and walked out. Natalia knew that there were better things that she could be doing with her time but she also knew that this woman looked like she needed a friend. She walked past the officer and entered the room offering Rose a small smile as she sat down with her.
"I think your daughter should be back from her tour in a little while" Natalia started. Rose smiled as she looked up from the table.
"With a place this big, it wouldn't surprise me if she was gone another hour!" Rose said with a smirk. A conversation that involved either of her children was always something that could bring a smile to her face. Natalia let out a quiet chuckle. "I do appreciate everything that you all have done for us. I know it's not in your paycheck to have to do all of this" Rose continued. Natalia reached across the table and placed her hand on top of Rose's.
"There isn't a single person in this lab that wouldn't have done the same thing" Natalia reassured. "I know that you are probably worried about Daisy, and I wanted to let you know that the woman with her is one of our best agents. That being said, I was hoping you could explain to me how all of this came to be? We're trying to get all of the story in as much detail as possible" Natalia urged. Rose nodded.
"Bryan had been sending me e-mails over the past month. Crazy things. I reminded him that he had a restraining order and that he needed to stop. A few days later he showed up at our house. My husband…" Rose stopped for a moment as the information that he was dead was still fresh in her memory. Natalia gave her handle a gentle squeeze.
"Take your time" Natalia said softly to comfort her.
Rose took a deep breath and continued. "My husband came down stairs after he heard me talking to Bryan at the door. I had threatened to call the cops and that was when John had come down. I would've stayed but I saw Violet at the end of the hallway and I didn't want them to panic. I told Violet to get her sister and go to their secret place. Our panic room. We tried to make it a fun place so the girls wouldn't be scared. When I came back Bryan was fuming. He was yelling about how he was right for me, how this family was a lie. John kept pushing him back. John looked at me in a way that was different. Like something was wrong. And Bryan…. he looked crazy. Like how he used to get. I went downstairs and told the girls not to open the door until I came back. Right as I came up stairs I saw Bryan hit John. John fell and didn't get back up. I didn't know what was happening, I don't really remember much after that except waking up in the trunk of a car" Rose explained. Natalia watched painfully as Rose poured her heart out of the moments of the past week or so.
"Bryan kept me at his place, or what I assume was his place. He locked me in at all times and kept telling me that I just needed to 'come around'. That soon enough I would 'remember the love we had'. I began to worry that the girls wouldn't of left the panic room. I made deals with Bryan. I would be more loving if he would drop by food for the girls. He did so for a while, until the day that you guys showed up. He was furious with me" She explained as she pointed to the darkened bruise on her cheek. "He thought that I had set him up. That it was a plot all along. He knew that you would have gotten the girls so we made a new deal. He had been watching, he knew that the girls and that woman were staying at a hotel. I told him that if he could get the girls that we would be a family, we could get married even. I was willing to do anything at that point. So we drove and when we got there that officer was there. She must've known our faces. She explained to Bryan that he would go to jail if he took the girls. Bryan was panicking. That woman told him that if let me go, that they couldn't hurt him. Bryan wasn't having it. He was set on the idea of a family. He told her he wanted her gun first. She gave it to him and he pushed me forward. I had both of the girls for once. It was amazing. Until he turned the gun and demanded that he take one of the girls to make sure that we would still be together once this all blew over. He took Daisy…" Rose recalled. "He had this mindset that all he had to do was hide out for a little while and then he would find a way to get back to us. He wasn't right in the head. He didn't understand that he had already committed so many crimes. There was no way that things could play out that way. That officer though, she looked so confident in what she was doing. I watcher her buckle Daisy in so calmly as he held a gun at her. He handcuffed her to the door and then they drove off. I remember her looking at me out the window and nodding, as if she had everything under control…" Rose finished as she looked out the window. Nothing made sense. How she even ended up here.
Just at the perfect time Violet came skipping down the hallway and straight into the interrogation room. She was like a ray of sunshine. "She's going to bring back my daughter right? They are aren't they?" Rose asked with a straight face. Natalia nodded with a smile. "That's a promise" Natalia said as she got up and left the mother to be with her one daughter. Natalia left the room and walked up to Eric who was walking back with Valeria. Valeria took Louise down another hall to get some coffee as Eric caught up to Natalia.
"Hey you alright? You look exhausted" Ryan asked as he placed a hand on Natalia's shoulder.
"I just talked to the wife, she's holding up surprisingly well but, I promised her that Daisy would come back fine. I knew that wasn't a promise I could keep" Natalia said with disappointment heavy in her voice. Ryan wasn't really sure of what to say. They really didn't know. Infact, they hadn't even heard so much as an update yet. They two turned back towards the room as watched as Rose hugged Violet tightly. Rose looked up for a moment and jumped from her chair with her eyes as wide as they could be. Puzzled, Natalia and Ryan turned around to see not only Daisy, but Horatio, Eric, Bryan, and Calleigh walking through the doors. Eric pushed by the group with Bryan cuffed in front of him. He wobbled by with a limp that Eric had no concern for. He pushed forward towards one of the back interrogation rooms that lacked the public glass windows. He didn't deserve to be able to see everyone.
Rose came rushing out of the room, running towards her daughter. One of the officers accompanying the team handed Daisy over to her mother as soon as she was close enough to grab her with her own hands. They all smiled at the accomplishment they had made. The officer directed the reunited family back to the room they were previously in. Rose looked back for a moment and mouthed "thank you" to Calleigh, who only replied with a smile and a nod.
There stood Ryan, Natalia, Horatio, and a banged up Calleigh. "Well.. You look like hell" Natalia said, breaking the silence. Ryan and Horatio couldn't help but let out small chuckles. Calleigh rubbed her hands over her face and smiled. It had been a hell of a day. "Have you been-" Ryan started before Calleigh cut him off.
"Yes I have been checked by medical" Calleigh finished. "Hardly that, you had your pulse taken and your eyes checked. You know that you're going down to Alexx for a thorough check" Horatio finished with a stern look in his eyes. Calleigh rolled her eyes with a smile.
"I gotta ask though, why were you even there?" Natalia asked with curiosity in her voice.
"Calleigh, I want you checked out and then in my office" Horatio cut in again. It was clear that he was not happy in her endeavours, more importantly in her choices. They had all only be reunited for a few minutes and it was already back to business. Calleigh knew that her decisions were rash but they had to be done.
Horatio turned on a heel to head back to his office expecting Calleigh to reply. He turned back around and looked at her as she stood still looking at the floor. "It's just to get some of this paperwork filed away regarding the case, you know the drill" He added on. Still no response.
Natalia stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder for moral support. The day's events must have taken a toll on her. Calleigh looked up at the exact time that Eric was returning back down the hallway to join their conversation. The second she lifted her head she recalled the concerned look on Eric's face, and the was the last thing she saw before the darkness.
Alrighty guys, I was going to write more but I didn't want to steal away all of the craziness of our next chapter. The bulk of this one was just to clear up some questions. So we still don't know why Calleigh ended up at that scene. We don't know what happened to Calleigh after Horatio and Eric finally met up with her. Most importantly, we don't know what just happened to Calleigh! Let me know what you guys are thinking! We have much more coming for this story, more action, more drama, and as promised there will be more romance… SOON! Stay tuned!