Chapter 5:

Raph P.O.V

It's been two months since Leo went back overseas. We continue to write and talk to each other as he tells us about the latest project he and Kaz are doing to build a school for local children.

I walked into work when Jacob hands me a case and pulls me back out the door.

"It's a bad one Raph. A woman was walking home from work when she was jumped and pushed into an alley where she was beaten within an inch of her life all for the money in her purse. She's in the emergency room being treated now. You're going to go down there to talk to her when she wakes up and I'll go to the crime scene to figure out who this SOB is and why." Jacob stated.

"Who's the victim?" I asked opening the file.

Jacob pointed at the picture, "Her name is Erica Miller she's a college graduate just finishing work at the local dinner on campus. "

"Wait a minute" I said.

I scrambled to look to see if I was right.

"Damn" I muttered.

"What?" Jacob asked.

"My brother Leo served with an Eric Miller they must have been twins. He was KIA three years ago when Leo decided to go into the K9 bomb squad." I said.

"While that guy is in for it now." Jacob said.

"You count on it" I added.

We took separate cars down I went to the hospital to wait for Erica to wake up and tell me what happened. Jacob went down to the scene to see if there was anything there to help us.

Erica stirred in her sleep.

"Erica?" I whispered in a soft voice.

Erica's eyes cracked opened a bit she tried to speak but I place my hand gently on her lips.

"Sorry but you're jaw is wired shut from the beating." I handed Erica a board with a marker so she could talk.

"Sarah my name is Detective Hamato and I'm here to help you." I said.

Sarah wrote on the board, "Are you related to a Leonardo Hamato?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah he's my older brother."

"My brother served with him when he was still alive."

Sarah quickly gripped my wrist with her hand,

"You need to get them back" she wrote.

"What?" I asked.

"Eric's dog tags I was wearing them when I was attack. They were ripped off my neck during the attack."

"Got it Sarah is there anything else you can tell us?" I asked.

"He smelled like rotten fish and he had a heavy accent." She wrote.

"Okay Erica just gets so rest now. I'll call a nurse and keep you up to date. Here's my card." I left my card on the table near the bed writing my cell number on the back "Call me day or night" Erica nodded her head the best she could.

I walked back to my car and took the file into my hands there was a picture of Erica where we was standing with her brother when he was first shipped away. She had long black hair and green eyes but now she had her mouth wired together, black eyes, and a dislocated shoulder plus two fractured ribs.

I called Jacob and told him about what Erica told me.

We met back at the station to go over everything. I had my work shirt tucked in my pants with a belt and my gun hoisters underneath both my arms that were attached on my back.

Jacob factored in my information about the rotten fish and heavy accent to recently release man who works with the delivery of fish to the diner where Erica works. We went to question the guy and Jacob was able to translate when he pretended he could only speak Italian. I looked at him closer to see dog tags peeking out of his pocket when I pointed them out he threw the box he was holding at us and bolted. We ran quickly after him Jacob ran with him while I went around, I was thankful for all that high school track because it was really helping now.

We were able to catch the man and when we took him to the station for booking we found out later that he fell in love with Erica when he delivered the fish but when she didn't return his feelings he said that if she wasn't going to love him then no one was going to love her. Thinking that the dog tags around her neck was her boyfriends he ripped them off and was going to throw them away but stopped when he found out we were on his trail.

I was also to get the dog tags released a few days later and got a call from the doctors in charge of Erica saying she was getting better and her wires on her jaw came off so she could speak.

I went to visit her with the dog tags in hand. Jacob was going to come but he had to finish paperwork and pick up his kids after school.

I knocked on her door.

"Hello?"

"Hello." Erica said.

I walked into the room and took a chair to sit in.

"You're officer Hamato right?" Erica asked.

"Yes ma'am. " I said.

"Did you find out who attacked me?" Erica asked.

"Yes ma'am but I can't release any of the details under the case is closed and the judge rules." I said.

"Okay thanks Officer Hamato." Erica said.

"Raph" I said.

"Raph?" Erica asked raising an eyebrow.

"That's my name it's easier saying it that way." I said.

"Okay Raph is there anything else you need to tell me?" Erica asked.

"I came here to give you this as well." I said handing her the dog tags.

Erica took them into her shaking hands I covered them with my own.

"Your brother led me to them so I could return them." I whispered.

A tear rolled off Erica's face and onto the dog tags. I helped Erica place the dog tags around her neck.

The moment I placed the dog tags on Erica my heart skipped a beat. I thought it was nothing and left Erica to recovery and returned to work.

A month later I got a call from Erica she had a nightmare about the attack and was shaking. I rushed over to help calm her down and stayed with her rocking her in my arms to sleep anytime she started to freak out. Each time I let her go to return to work my heart would ache. I didn't understand it so when I got home called Leo who was an expert in this field because of Sarah.

"Sounds like you're in love Raph." Leo said.

"What!?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah that's how I felt when I parted with Sarah before we started dating." Leo explained.

"Oh man" I said slamming my head on the table.

"Sorry Raph but just take your time to get to know her and make sure you really care for her in a different way than you just feeling sorry for her after everything she has been through." Leo carefully explained.

"Got it Leo. Is there anything new happening with you?" I asked.

"No just continuing with the progress with the school and helping out a team when they were walking on a road that was cutting off a village with a trade route so they could get food." Leo said.

"Good luck out there and tell Kaz we say hi." I said.

"Bye Raph I'll be home in a few more months." Leo said signing off.

I shut my laptop and leaned against the couch with my head hanging off the back, closing my eyes I tried to get some sleep until I had to go to work in a few hours.

Donnie P.O.V

I just finished talking to Leo. He's been gone for close to four months now. Leo told he just was helping Raph out with a girl. I let him be since he was more of an expert in that field than all of us. I was jealous of Leo he and Sarah seemed to have been soul mates meeting like that in the airport and then Leo helping her out while she helped him with our family problems. It reminded me of Casey and April who finally got married and were excepting their first child together.

Leo was hoping to be home when they gave birth so he was working home so he could get home without leaving anything unfinished.

I closed my laptop and was leaving the office when I heard a thunk noise. I turned to see a woman with long wavy blonde hair gathering papers see dropped and rubbing her head. I quickly helped her and apologized for it.

"I'm so sorry about" I said.

"No, no it's my fault for not paying attention." She said.

She tilted her head up from the ground to look me in the eyes, as soon as our eyes met her dark blue eyes widened.

"Are you Dr. Hamato?" she asked.

I nodded my head. True I was still studying to get my PhD but most people saw me as a doctor even without the proper degree at the moment.

"Wow my name is Catherine and I'm interning here so I've heard a lot about you and your advances in engineering and science." Catherine said.

"Thanks but I really learned everything from Dr. O'Neil and his daughter." I said.

"I hope I can work here when I finish my internship" Catherine said.

"You'll get it Catherine as long as you study and work hard we'll be more than happy to work side by side with each other." I said.

I gave Catherine the rest of her papers and went to go into the lab to meet with Dr. O'Neil with some testing.

When the door I left closed Catherine walked past my office door into the shadows of the room where there was a security blind spot. Catherine got on the phone and pressed two on her the keypad.

"Hey it's me. I just met Donatello Hamato and I think I just gained his trust. Permission to continue with the plan?" Catherine whispered into the phone.

An electronic voice responded, "Permission granted"

A.N:

The guys and Erica are 22, Sarah is 20, and Catherine is 24. Casey and April are 25.